Brave New World
by Ruth Joyce
Summary: (Companion book to "Companions Series.") When Mary Katherine tries to use the snow globes to help the Companions, she accidentally travels forward in time and becomes stuck there. As time passes, she helps her new friend Professor Bomba in his quest to prove the existence of Leafmen, and gets thrown into an epic adventure that turns out to be more than she bargained for.
1. Chapter 1: Trouble In The Past

**Author's Note: In Companions Divided, I had MK do a cameo appearance. I wanted her in the story, but didn't have much room for her, so I sent her to the future out of convenience. In the future, she connected with her dad from "Epic" and met Nod, thus enabling her to talk with Elsa later on in the book about love, Elsa's theme. It was really just a fun side story, but I thought it would fun to explore in depth here. Enjoy!**

 **(For those who did not read the Companions Series, you don't have to read them first. Basically, Jack, Rapunzel, Hiccup, and Merida are the Companions, chosen by the Moon to defeat Pitch and Gothel. North's snow globes can travel through time and brought Hiccup and Merida from Berk. As the books progressed, Jack became the Guardian of Fun, Rapunzel the Guardian of Creativity, Merida Guardian of Courage, and Hiccup Guardian of Trust. Rapunzel's parents are Rue and Robert of Arendelle, and Rue's sister is Primrose, Queen of Corona. Primrose and her husband King Thomas have Mary Katherine, or MK, as their daughter.)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Epic, Rise of the Guardians, Tangled, How to Train Your Dragon, Frozen, Hotel Transylvania, or Brave.**

* * *

Mary Katherine, or MK as she liked to be called, loved visiting Arendelle. Her side of the family hadn't been blessed with magical powers, and her life for the past 19 years had been rather dull, besides being a princess. At the moment, she and her mother, Queen Primrose of Corona, were playing chess in the library. Jack, Rapunzel, and Elsa were holding a session for visiting trade dignitaries, and Anna was on a date with Kristoff, so the two were in for a supposedly quiet afternoon.

That is until the Duke of Wesselton swept in dramatically.

"Magic?! Absolute poppycock. Who does that queen think she is? Oh. Your majesty," he said, bowing to Primrose.

His toupee flipped upside down, revealing a shining bald spot. MK would have burst out giggling if her mother hadn't glared at her to keep silent.

"Forgive me," the Duke continued. "I did not know that you were here."

"Nevertheless," Primrose said in a dignified manner. "That is no reason to talk treason behind the back of Queen Rapunzel."

"Yes, ma'am, you are absolutely right. I do apologize. I must say, though, that I was not talking treason. I only wanted a better explanation for why she broke up the trade meeting."

Primrose raised an eyebrow. Knowing Rapunzel, it might be worth looking into. "What happened?" she asked, trying not to sound curious.

"We were just about to begin when a young boy on a…well, it sounds impossible, but it can't be called anything else, but a _dragon_ appeared from a rainbow. And _then_ the boy was lifted into the air, along with Princess Elsa, and dragged from the room by an invisible being! I would just like to know why the meeting was stopped by some crude tricks!"

"Crude tricks?" MK asked, offended. _Obviously North sent Hiccup and Toothless to the palace, and Jack carried him and Elsa off._

"Obviously," the Duke said. "What else could it be?"

"We shall go and investigate the matter," Primrose said. "Come along, Mary Katherine."

"Thank you, your majesty," said the Duke, bowing again.

"It has to be Hiccup!" MK exclaimed excitedly once they were in the hall.

"Most likely, although he's home early," Primrose said.

Hiccup had been gone for the past few weeks dealing with a undersea dragon that had recently woken from hibernation. She had to admit, she had a bit of a crush on him, even though he barely noticed her. After Astrid, there was never anyone else for Hiccup, which was her problem. Still, she was glad to see him, even if it hurt.

They could hear voices down the hall, and MK walked a little faster. In Elsa's new bedroom, she found Rapunzel, Jack, Anna, Elsa, her aunt Rue, Mavis, Hiccup, Toothless, and Olaf.

"Well, I think I speak for everyone when I say we will all come and help," Rue was saying.

"Wait, what? Go where?" MK asked.

"Hi sis," Rue said with a slight wince. "I'd like you to meet Hiccup, Jack and Rapunzel's fellow Companion. Hiccup, this is my sister Primrose, who's visiting from Corona."

"Good afternoon, miladies," Hiccup said, bowing.

 _Why must he be so hot and charming?_

MK smiled and curtsied. She was slightly taken aback by how young he was, but she had been told about the time traveling, and managed to keep her composure.

 _Say something, say something!_ "Hi," she said. "So where are you going?"

"We're going back in time to save Merida from a ferocious kidnapper," Olaf said cheerfully. "And we probably won't even make it back!"

"Really? Cool! I want to come!" _Cool? What was I thinking? Merida could be in danger…then again, it would be nice to go on an adventure with Hiccup._

She tried not to look at Hiccup, but it was really hard, especially when she realized they were now closer to the same age…and closer to her league.

"No one said that, Olaf," Mavis said.

"Absolutely not," Prim said. "I can't order everyone else to stay and disregard this foolish mission, but I can make you stay. Honestly, Rue! I know you're not the queen anymore, but you _and_ Rapunzel leave Arendelle? And on the day your trade dignitaries come visiting for the convention, too."

"Aunt Prim," Rapunzel said. "A girl's life is in danger, and one of my best friends at that. You expect me to sit here through a trade convention while she is trapped?"

"No, I don't suppose I do. But I don't expect you, and Jack, and Elsa, and Anna, and Mavis _and_ Rue to all run off like that!"

"We are going," Rue said. "Whether you like it or not."

"I don't like it. But because I care about you, I'll pacify the tradesmen. For now. Come along, Mary Katherine," Prim said, leaving dramatically.

MK sighed irritably. She hated it when her mother called her Mary Katherine. Worse still was not being able to go.

"It's because of dad," she muttered. Her father had died only two years before, and Primrose had been very overprotective ever since. "That's why she won't let me go."

"She'll come around eventually," Rue said comfortingly as her niece left the room.

"With any luck we'll be home in a few minutes our time," Mavis said. "It will be like we never left."

 _That's not my problem,_ she thought, trying to keep from crying.

"Mom, I'm going for a walk in the garden."

"That's fine. Just be careful and don't do anything rash."

"Yeah, okay," she said, disappointed.

The garden was empty as all the ambassadors had gone to their rooms or were meeting with Prim. In a most undignified way, MK slumped on a bench. No one was watching; what did it matter?

"Your mum would na like yew sitting in _tha_ posture," came a teasing Scottish voice.

"Merida?" MK turned and saw her friend peering from behind a bush. "I thought you were kidnapped!"

"Ah, we've reached tha point in time, have we? Ah'm fine, don't worry. That's all in mah past. Has everyone run off ta save me?"

"Yes, but I'm not allowed to go. Mom won't let me."

"Yew are 19 years old," Merida said matter-of-factly. "It's time for yew to start making your own choices."

"Am I supposed to follow them?"

"Yew are supposed to make your own choices, choose your own fate."

"Olaf said it might be dangerous…you know what happens. Will I come back?"

"Ah cannot tell yew. But if yew dew, yew won't come back the same MK."

"I don't think I want to be the same person," MK said with a sigh. "I'm going."

Merida grinned. "Good! Ah was hoping yew might say that." She pulled a snowglobe from her bag and tossed it to her. "Off yew go!"

"How does it work?" MK asked.

"Tell it where yew want to go. Or think if you can't put it into words."

Almost reverently, she held it up to her face and thought about she wanted. She yearned to help and experience the adventure of a lifetime. Subconsciously, without realizing it, she wished for a father back in her life, and for love.

"Take me where I need to be," she whispered, throwing the globe.

Waving goodbye, she stepped through the portal. Merida smiled, knowing that the portal had not taken her to Berk as she had expected. _This_ was the part where she went forward in time and found a society of tiny people living in the woods. She would live there for some time, and even fall in love, before ending up on Berk and helping train the bear that would help Merida escape from the tower.


	2. Chapter 2: Modern Age

**Author's Note: I apologize for the long gap in writing. Honestly, I wasn't ready to begin a new story, I had just meant it to be a one-shot. I should have waited to post the first chapter, but I got a little excited. :) Anyway, now that Just-Ice is almost finished and I have the plot all laid out, I can concentrate on Epic more. I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Waving goodbye, Mary Katherine stepped through the portal. There was a sickening twist and sharp pop, and then she landed on her stomach in the middle of soft grass.

"Ow," she said, putting a hand to her head and looking up.

Inches away from her face was a very surprised man. He was wearing a complicated leather helmet with glass of different sizes and shapes in front of his eyes.

"That is spectacular. Extraordinary! How did you do it?"

Energetically, he leapt to his feet and ran behind her, examining the spot where the portal had connected. MK quickly picked up the snowglobe and tried to stash it away, but the odd looking man spotted it.

"What's that? A scientific instrument from the future perhaps? Or the past?"

"I'm sorry," she stuttered. "I was trying to get to Berk? Is that anywhere near here?"

"Afraid not," the man said. He studied her intently for a moment. "Where are you from? Or the better question is when? I'm a scientist, not a historian, but I'm pretty sure you can't find clothes like that today."

"I'm from Corona," MK said uncertainly. "It was 1838 when I left Arendelle."

The man grabbed her hand and pumped it up and down. She didn't understand it, but it appeared to be a friendly gesture.

"I'm Professor Bomba. Welcome to the year 2009."

"Two thousand? But that's nearly two hundred years in my future!"

"Yes, it is!" the professor said, beaming. "You've traveled in time!"

"But I meant to go backwards, not forwards! Now I'm even farther away from Merida." She held up the globe again. "Take me to Merida, on Berk!"

She threw it, but, like a ball, it simply bounced and rolled gently down the hill. MK stared at it in shock, then ran over and picked it up, extremely concerned. She rubbed it with her sleeve.

"Come on, work! Take me to where Merida has been kidnapped!"

Again she there it, but for a second time nothing happened.

"That's not supposed to happen!" she cried, beginning to panic.

"Hey, calm down. Like I said before, I'm a scientist. I may be able to figure it out."

MK shook her head. "It's not science. It's magic. Although I guess you don't believe in such things."

"I might before the day is over. Come inside, let me see what I can do."

"How do you move around in here?" MK asked, looking at the crowded rooms.

"We don't wear big dresses," professor Bomba said simply. "Here, you can borrow my daughter's clothes for now, she's about your size. They're easier to move around in."

"These...these are pants."

"Girl pants, yeah."

"Girls are allowed to wear pants like men?" MK asked, astounded. "You mean I can wear them and not be yelled at?"

"Yeah," the professor said absentmindedly.

He was examining the snow globe and thoroughly engrossed. Grinning, MK quickly changed into the modern clothes. Immediately, she adored the pink sweatshirt and loose fitting pants. Pink wasn't really her color, but this was definitely her style.

"So, you have a daughter?" she asked, joining the professor in his lab. It looked a cross between the North Pole and Hiccup's workshop.

"Oh. Yeah," Bomba muttered.

"Where is she?"

"She's staying with her mother for awhile. She won't live with me for another month."

MK was a little confused but didn't press the subject. "What's her name?"

"Penny," he said. "I forgot to ask about your name. Sorry, I forget things like that."

"Princess Mary Katherine," she said automatically. "But, just call me MK."

"You're a princess?"

"Only child of Queen Primrose and King Thomas, reluctant heir to the throne," she said unenthusiastically. "That's me."

"So, is this thing yours?"

"You're not going to believe me, but that snow globe is the property of Nicholas St. North. Better known as Santa Claus."

Professor Bomba took off his glasses and stared at her in shock.

Bunny arrived a few minutes later, having sensed "a time distortion," as he put it. Immediately, he went to fetch North, but even the big man himself couldn't figure out what happened to the snow globe.

"Is is just dead," he declared. "But don't ask me why."

"Do you have more at the Pole?" MK asked hopefully.

"I brought them with me," he said. "Professor, can you help me lift this bag?"

The professor, who had no problem believing in magic now and had taken the whole situation extraordinarily well, gladly obliged. From the sleigh came a gigantic bag full of snow globes. They tried until the sun went down, but nothing worked. North could get through alright, but even traveling through space would not work for MK. The portals, or perhaps the Moon North theorized, wouldn't let her through.

"Is that it, then? Am I stuck here for the rest of my life?"

"You can't just give up after one day!" Bomba said encouragingly. "Listen, you're welcome to stay with me until we can sort it out. You and Penny would be great friends!"

"Or you could always stay with me or one of the Companions," North added.

"Are they still around?"

"Of course they are! Why shouldn't they be?"

"But mom..."

"She never became immortal. Neither did Rue and Robert, and they had magic in their blood."

"I'd rather stay here for now. I'm not ready to see them."

"Suit yourself," North said, shrugging his broad shoulders. "I must return. I've been gone for too long already."

"But it's only spring!" Bomba protested.

"My break runs from the day after Christmas until Easter! After that, it's back to work, preparing for next Christmas!" He climbed into the sleigh and cracked the reigns. "I will check back with you later!" he called as he disappeared.

"Well, I guess if you're going to be staying for awhile, you can use Penny's room for now," Bomba said, leading her upstairs to a little girl's bedroom.

"How old is she?" MK asked, looking at the dolls.

"She's about...oh, I don't know. 16 or 17 I think. I lose count."

"Uh huh...when was the last time she stayed here?"

"She visited last summer which is when she left some clothes...oh! You mean the dolls. She and her mom moved out when she was 8 or 9, but I always left her things in case they came back..." he trailed off, looking at a 4-year-old's drawing of a butterfly.

"Why did she move out?" she asked innocently. "Did she have to move to a healthier climate?"

"What? Oh, that's right. I guess they didn't have divorce back where you come from."

MK shook her head. "No. Is that a bad disease?"

"Um, in a way," he said slowly. "Basically, Elizabeth, her mother, decided she didn't want to be married to me any longer."

This only made MK even more confused. "But didn't you love each other?"

"At one point, we did. But things got complicated, we argued a lot, and it made it hard to live together. So she took Penny and moved to another house in a big city. But Penny does come to visit me every now and then, so it's fine, really."

 _I'm not so sure about that..._ MK thought. _She didn't visit for almost 5 years and you can't even remember how old she is._

But she decided not to press the subject, as it seemed to make the professor sad.

"Anyway," he said. "I'll let you get some sleep. It's been a weird day for all of us."

"Ok, thank you."

"Goodnight, Princess," he joked.

"Goodnight."

After some searching, MK found some more comfortable looking clothes to sleep in and slipped in. Luckily, she was roughly the same size as Penny, but there wasn't much of a selection. She decided to ask him about it in the morning. The bed, since it was made for a young child, was a little cramped, but after her day, it didn't really matter. MK was soon fast asleep.

* * *

A loud, sharp shrieking noise woke her in the morning. Thinking something was terribly wrong, she rushed downstairs with hands clapped about her ears. She found the professor in the kitchen, jumping back and forth anxiously.

"What's going on?" she yelled above the noise.

"Don't worry, it's fine!" he yelled back. "I left the waffles in for too long so the alarms going off...can you take that darn kettle off the stove?"

The tea kettle was familiar enough that she quickly found it and lifted it off the stove. Part of the racket ceased, and soon Bomba had silenced the rest.

"Sorry about that, I got distracted with that ball thing if yours."

"Snowglobe," she said. "Where do I put this?"

"Back on the stove now that I've turned it off. Don't worry, it won't whistle at you. Oh, um, your shirt's on backwards, by the way."

"What? Oh, sorry. I'm not used to these kinds of clothes. I like them, but they're a little different. And...well, I hate to bring it up, but there's not that many."

"Well, she didn't leave much," Bomba admitted. "Hey! Maybe I can give her a call and you two can go shopping. Girls like that, right?"

"Um, yeah. I think so. I would like to meet her if I'm going to be here for awhile."

"Perfect! I'll call after breakfast." He popped open the beeping machine to reveal a round black thing that was supposed to be edible. "Ah...looks like the waffles are burnt. I guess we'll have cereal then. Unless you'd rather have oatmeal?"

He held up a box labeled Quaker Oatmeal, with a picture on the front that looked somewhat familiar.

"If it's like porridge, then yes, that'd be fantastic."

Two hours later, there was a knock on the door, and Penny came in. She was a little shorter than MK, with bobbed auburn hair and big brown eyes.

"Penny!" Bomba said excitedly. "I'm so glad you're here."

"Sure, dad," she said, looking annoyed. She held out a hand towards MK. "I'm Penny."

"Mary Katherine," MK said, taking the hand. "But you can call me MK."

"Dad, where's your card?" Penny asked.

"Hmm? Oh, yes! My card. You might be needing that," he chuckled as he searched his pockets. "Um…hang on, I don't remember where I left it."

Penny rolled her eyes as he ran to his study. "He's always losing things," she explained.

MK nodded awkwardly. She was beginning to have second thoughts about this. Just then, Bomba returned with the card and handed it to Penny.

"What's that?" MK asked.

"Money," Bomba said. "Penny can explain it in more detail on the way." His watch started beeping and he looked down at it excitedly. "Ooh! I've got to go get this. Have fun girls!"

He ran out the back door, picking up his helmet on the way out, leaving the two teens standing in the hall.

"And there he goes," Penny said dejectedly. "Oh, well. Now the fun can begin!"

She grinned and led MK out the front door to her little red car. Trying not to embarrass herself, MK watched her every move and copied her, although she didn't see what the gray sash across her chest did. She soon found out when Penny started the engine and took off down the dirt road.

"Whoa!" she said, clutching the sides of the chair.

"Hope you like to go fast!" Penny said. "I always need to burn off some energy after coming here."

"I'll be ok," she said, settling in. Tentatively, she pressed on the roof of the vehicle. "It feels like North's sleigh, only safer."

Penny looked sideways at her and stopped the car. With a jolt, MK lurched forward and gasped for air.

"OK, here's the thing," Penny said, looking her dead on. "I don't mind making new friends and shopping. Dad rarely gives me his credit card so I'm not complaining. But are you really a time traveler, or are you two lying to me?"

"Why would we lie to you?"

"For a joke? To get me to believe his insane theories and go live with him? I don't understand half the things my father does."

"Well, nobody's lying. I really am from the past."

Penny studied her for a moment, then started driving again. "Ok, I believe you. So, where are you from in the past?"

"Corona. It's an island south of Arendelle and the Southern Isles."

"South of the Southern Isles, huh? Must be pretty far south. Is it north of anything?"

"It's north of Germany," she said. "Part of our kingdom actually is on the mainland."

"Germany? So you're from Europe. But you've never heard of Hitler or Nazis or anything?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," MK said honestly. "They must have come after 1838."

"Proof enough for me," Penny said. "Do you have a family?"

"Just me and my mom," she said. "My dad died two years ago and I don't have any brothers or sisters. But I'm pretty close with my cousin Rapunzel and her family…"

"Rapunzel? Like the fairy tale? I didn't know people were actually named that."

"Um, yeah."

MK did not mention how Rapunzel and Jack were immortal Guardians and that Rapunzel's story probably had become the legend Penny was talking about. She decided to ask professor Bomba when they returned to the house.

"So, what about your family?" she asked. "If you don't mind me asking."

"Me and my mom are on our own too. "I keep busy with school and acting…"

"Acting? You're in theater?"

"That's where I started. But now I'm on a TV show."

"And what's that?"

"Man, you have missed out. Maybe one day you can come over to my apartment and I can show you. Or you could come to the set when we start filming again, depending on how long you're staying."

"Ok, that sounds fun. How far away is the tailor's?"

"The what? Oh, no. No. People haven't used tailors in a century. Girl, we're going to the mall."

* * *

It was the most confusing three hours the MK could remember, and as she looked back on her life, it remained that way. And that was saying something, considering everything she'd been through and would experience. There were so many people rushing about, talking into machines or thin air. Their clothes, so vastly different from anything in Corona, barely seemed to fit. Some hairstyles seemed somewhat familiar; there were braids and buns (though not very tidy), straight hair and curly. Brunettes, blondes, and redheads were common, though the shades were harsher and seemed as natural as the bright blue girl that they passed.

They had been to several stores on the first floor when Penny decided they need to visit some on the next level.

"Are you sure?" MK asked, looking into the shopping bag. "We already have enough."

"You have three t-shirts and one pair of jean shorts. You can't live off of that."

"I usually have a riding outfit, traveling dress, and my casual wear," MK said. "I usually alternate between those. And then of course mom forces me to get into a nice evening gown every night for dinner."

"Ok, Princess. But I would like to check out Marmie's. So come on!"

MK smiled and followed Penny through the crowds, looking for a staircase of some sort. To her surprise, she found herself standing in front of a moving staircase, with stairs appearing out of the ground and rising upward.

"Oh, right. It's an escalator," Penny explained. "Don't be scared, just jump on."

"Like this?"

MK jumped and landed on an already formed step two feet in the air. She wobbled, trying to regain her balance as Penny quickly stepped after her.

"Close enough," she said. "Only you don't need to actually jump you can just step on one foot at a time. Just do it quickly. We can practice on the way down."

"Oh, ok."

In Marmie's, she found Penny spotted a pink v-neck t-shirt. She held it up to MK.

"That doesn't look half bad," she said.

"Pink's not really my color," MK said. "Mom says it doesn't look right with my hair."

"Just try it," Penny insisted, grabbing a pair of khakis and some leggings. "Fashion is different today."

MK sighed and took the clothes back to a changing room. Surprisingly, they were the only ones back there. For the first time since the car ride, they had some relative privacy.

"Can I ask you something?" MK asked tentatively.

"Sure."

"Why don't you and your dad get along? Earlier you said he had these insane theories..."

Penny sighed and slumped against the wall. "Yeah. That's what drove mom and me away. He believes that there are tiny little people living in the woods, taking care of it."

"Like gnomes? Or elves?"

"No, I'm talking about people not even two inches high. About the size of your finger. More like Thumbelina I guess."

"Oh. I don't know what that is."

"Fairies, I guess," Penny said. "But no wings. Just tiny little people who have a whole culture and history."

"Oh." It could be fairies. Fairies that lot their wings, or a whole different species. Maybe Toothiana will know. But I can't say anything to Penny or she'll think I'm as loony as her father.

"You ready?" Penny called. "How do they fit?"

"Pretty well, I think," MK said, opening the door.

"Oh, that is too cute," Penny said. "Do you like it?"

"Actually, yes! The pink isn't that bad now I can see it."

"Good, then we're buying it!"

"Are there any hoodies here?" MK asked, looking around.

"Only in the winter. But you can keep mine. It doesn't really suit me."

"Oh, thank you!"

"No problem. Hey, are you hungry?"

"A little. I only had a small bowl of porridge this morning."

"Porridge? Oh, you mean oatmeal. Well, I think it's time I introduce you to some modern food. There's a great pizza place down the road."

* * *

MK returned to Professor Bomba in time for supper. He was still gone, out on one of his hunts Penny said, so MK ordered another pizza. Bomba seemed a little surprised to see her, but then remembered who she was.

"Oh, great! Pizza!"

"Yeah, Penny gave me some this afternoon. And I got to try ice cream."

"Yum! I'm glad you're getting used to modern food. Just don't overdo it, your digestive system isn't adapted to these substances. We'll make sure to balance it out over the next few weeks, get you gradually accustomed to it."

There was a moment of silence as MK tried to make out what he said.

"So," he continued," did you and Penny have fun?"

"Yeah. We found some clothes at the mall, we had pizza and ice cream for lunch, and then we went to see a movie. That was quite the experience."

"Oh, I bet it was! Did you like it?"

"Yeah, I thought it was great! Next weekend Penny said I should come over to her house to watch her show."

"I'm glad you two get along," Bomba said cheerfully. But then he looked down at his plate a little sadly.

MK waited a moment. "She told me about your tiny woodsman theory," she said.

"The Leafmen, yes," he perked up a bit. "I think I found a piece of uniform today."

"Can I see what you've found?" MK asked eagerly.

"You mean, you believe me?" he asked in disbelief.

"Well, I know the Tooth Fairy personally. Why shouldn't there be fairy-like creatures living in the woods?"

Bomba grinned.


	3. Chapter 3: New Home

**Author's Note: Hey guys! I've updated chapter 2 a good deal, just so you know. I may have updated it twice since you last read it, so you may want to go back and scan that chapter before you read this one. Also, I know this chapter is long and mostly conversations, but MK needs to reach a certain point before I can shrink her and take her to the Leafmen in order for my story to work. Action starts in the next chapter, I promise!**

* * *

MK sat on the front porch of the house, staring at the snowglobe in defeat. It had been two weeks since she had unexpectedly arrived, and every day she had tried to get home, but to no avail. She had enjoyed the time, to be sure, but she also missed her mother and Corona. And besides that, Merida was still in trouble.

"Take me home!" she yelled in frustration, tossing the globe into the overgrown grass.

Nothing happened, as expected.

"Ok," she said, thinking aloud. "I can't get through, but could something else come through?" She thought for a moment. "Bring me Hiccup."

This time the portal opened in a swirling whirl. Without thinking, MK jumped at it, but she was thrown on her back. A second later, Hiccup stood above her, looking very confused. MK blushed.

 _I hope I don't regret this..._

"Mary Katherine?" Hiccup explained. He looked around wildly. "Where are we? And, I'm afraid to ask, but when?"

Suddenly he remembered his manners and helped her to her feet.

"Well, remember that time Merida was kidnapped and we all tried to go back in time to Berk and save her? I ended up here instead."

Hiccup raised an eyebrow and started to speak, then thought better of it. Finally he tried again. "I think Merida told me this story," he said cautiously. "I just never expected to be a part of it."

"I can get back, the snow globes won't let me through," she said, giving it to him. "I was wondering if you could fix it."

"I can certainly try," he said.

They sat down on the porch as Hiccup examined it. "So, where are we?"

"Oh, some place near Hollywood, I think. This is Professor Bomba's house. He's a scientist, and his daughter is an actress."

"In Hollywood?"

"I guess...she's on a tv show. I've been to her little house and we've been watching it."

"How long have you been here?"

"Two weeks."

"Have you seen North yet?"

"Yeah, he and Bunny came almost immediately."

Hiccup set the portal down and looked at her seriously. "Then if North can't help you, I can't help you."

"But you've done more time traveling than North has..."

"MK, North dismantled the time travel."

"What? Why?"

"There were four times when the Companions were united through time travel," Hiccup explained. "The third time was when Merida was kidnapped. The second time...that's coming up soon and I can't give anything away. But North decided it was way to dangerous, so he took it off."

MK felt her heart sink. "But mine still has it!"

"I don't know how this works. Jack and Rapunzel stole one once and went to the future, even farther ahead then this, and they came back fine. But if none of the portals let you through anywhere..."

"I'm stuck here."

"Maybe...but maybe not. It could be that the Man in the Moon needs you to stay here for a reason. And when you finish he'll take you back. But it's just a theory, nothing for certain."

They were silent for a long time as MK tried to take it in. She had never considered that she would be stuck here permanently.

"Are you ok?" Hiccup asked quietly.

"Yeah," she said hoarsely. _Although_ , she thought glancing at Hiccup, _living here may not be such a bad idea..._ She cleared her throat. "How is everyone?"

"Oh, fine. Merida's roaming Scotland right now, that's where she spends most of her time now. Jack and Rapunzel go everywhere together, mostly around Corona and Arendelle, but they have adventures all over the world…"

Hiccup stopped, and MK studied his face. He seemed lonely. Although her heart raced, MK tried to look sympathetic.

"Well, not really. I mean, our work pulls us apart sometimes. Ok, a lot, but we still get together more often then we would have if we had all remained mortal."

"You said Jack and Rapunzel stay together," MK hinted.

"Yeah, well their powers can combine nicely. Fun and Creativity. All of our powers could merge in certain situations, in one combination or another, but their's more than anything." He paused, staring off into the long grass and the forest beyond. "Sometimes I wish…" But he stopped himself.

"You wish Astrid would have become immortal," MK finished softly. Even as she formed the words, she wondered if she should have said them. _No, no no! Why did I mention Astrid? I'm trying to get him to like me!_

But Hiccup seemed touched, in a removed sort of way. Still not looking at her, he nodded and brushed away a few tears. "Yep," he said horsely. If they hadn't been sitting right next to each other and the day hadn't been stiflingly still, MK probably wouldn't have been able to hear him.

She hesitated even more over her next words. "And…there's never been anyone else?"

Finally, he looked at her, and MK wondered if she would ever be able to breathe again. Twice he opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again. On the third time, he found his voice.

"Well," he began. "There is someone." Her heart racing, she put on her most flirtatious look. "Elsa."

The look dropped as soon as it had come. "Elsa? Elsa Frost?"

Hiccup was startled. "That hasn't happened yet," he said in alarm, quickly realizing his mistake. "Um..."

"I don't understand...is it the same Elsa?"

"Uh..." Hiccup looked away again. "I guess I might as well tell you. Elsa became a Guardian right after the Merida adventure. She's immortal now...and she also went through the experience of losing someone."

"Did she ever find a prince? Mother was always talking..." she trailed off, realizing how insensitive it was.

"No," Hiccup said, shaking his head. "But she adopted a little girl, Lillith. That was centuries ago. After I watched Astrid...anyway, she decided that it would be better to limit her affections to her daughter only. Lillith never married or had children, so she's been alone for awhile. She's like me."

"Ah."

"But I doubt it matters," he said rapidly. "She only thinks of me as an uncle; I was for a long time. There's so much of an age difference."

"That didn't bother Jack and Rapunzel," MK pointed out. Instantly Hiccup perked up, and she regretted it. Why do I keep ruining this?

"True," he said. But then his face fell. "But it doesn't matter. I'm not ready anyway."

"Centuries later?"

"I wonder if I'll ever get over her," Hiccup said, more to himself than anything.

Her meaning Astrid, MK thought bitterly. Her dream of staying with Hiccup was broken and crushed to pieces in less than a minute.

"Anyway, I should get going," Hiccup said, rising abruptly. "I need to find Toothless, he's probably worried sick trying to find me. I'll, um, come back to visit in a few days."

"No, you won't," MK stated sadly. "I remind you too much of the past. You don't want to remember."

"You're very discerning," he said. Again he paused, searching for the right words. "I'm trying to move on. It's hard when there's still a possibility of time travel and I'm not allowed to use it." MK nodded. "Oh, and don't breathe a word of what you heard to anyone else, especially if you do go back."

"Do I? You're from the future, you were there when Merida was kidnapped. That was when your leg was healed."

"I don't remember," Hiccup said simply.

The dreams disintegrated and blew away on a slight summer breeze. She nodded stiffly, trying to hold back tears.

"Are you ok?" Hiccup asked, gently touching her arm.

 _Obviously he has no idea I like him, otherwise_ , _he wouldn't torture me like this,_ MK thought. Aloud, she added, "I'm fine."

His green eyes were full of compassion. "I'll send Merida over if I get the chance."

"Send Toothiana, too," she said, remembering. "We're not sure, but Professor Bomba might have found a new species of fairy!"

Hiccup raised an eyebrow. "That sounds interesting. You'll have to keep me updated. I'll send both of them over as soon as I can. See ya."

Without waiting for an answer, he opened his portal and jumped in. MK sighed and slumped into the steps and wondered if the brief high had been worth the all-time low.

* * *

The next morning, Bomba was nowhere to be found, so MK fixed herself some more oatmeal. As she ate, she wandered into his lab and continued browsing artifacts. Two weeks and she was still finding new evidence he had collected. While she was watching the images on his computer-a movie happening somewhere in the forest at that instant, Bomba had explained-MK spotted the professor running through the brush after some squirrels. They were apparently the Leafmen equivalent of horses. Just then, his cellphone rang, vibrating the table and startling MK. She had seen both Bomba and his daughter use the device, but hadn't actually learned yet, though Penny wanted her too. A picture of Penny and her dog, Bolt, was on the screen now, which she figured meant that Penny was the one calling. MK knew that Bomba wouldn't mind her answering for him. She studied the phone and finally hit the "accept call" symbol, then raised it to her ear tentatively.

"Hello? Dad?" Penny's voice sounded even huskier than usual.

"Penny? Is that you?" MK asked uncertainly.

"Oh, hi MK," Penny said, surprised but still subdued. "I was actually trying to talk to you anyway."

"Yeah, your dad's out and I saw your picture on the phone."

"I'm glad you figured it out," she said. There was a moment's pause, then she blurted out, "Bolt's gone."

"What? Oh no! What happened?" MK had never met the dog, but she knew how much Penny loved him. It was like Hiccup and Toothless.

"The show I'm on...they raised him so he thinks it's all real, that I'm really in danger. Last episode I got kidnapped, so he broke out trying to find me. Now I can't find him."

"Penny, I'm so sorry. Do you want me to help look?"

"We already have a team of people coming the area and calling shelters. But I'm making some flyers to hang around town tomorrow. You can help me do that if you want."

"I'll help wherever I can. So, what are you going to do today if you don't have him?"

Penny sighed. "Just keep looking, I guess. I just hope he's ok."

"I'm sure he'll be fine. You'll find him."

"Yeah. What are you planning on?"

"I was about to go explore the woods."

"You're going to go hunt with dad, aren't you."

"Just...general exploring," MK said evasively. "I mean, I think it's actually plausible considering my experience and his evidence..."

"You won't find anything on your first day," Penny said sharply. "He's been looking for 14 years. If they existed, he would have found them by now. But it's driven him medically insane. If you're going to live here for more than a week, then you should come stay with me and mom instead."

"No, Penny, listen..."

"I gotta go," she said abruptly. "My agent's calling me."

There was no more talk from the other end, and when MK looked, the phone had returned to normal. Since she didn't know how to call back, she was stuck. Sighing, she went to find professor Bomba.

It took awhile, but she accidentally set off one of his triggers and he found her. He seemed disappointed she wasn't a creature, but then he realized she had come to help him look for the Leafmen and he brightened considerably. The two ran around the woods-leaping across streams and ducking under logs, and climbing up trees-all morning long.

At last, MK convinced him to sit down and eat some lunch. Bomba took her to a small dell nestled in a valley. It was as if someone had taken a giant knife and cut clean down the middle of the hill, then removed one half, exposing a sheer wall of layered rock. A waterfall cut through the wall and spilled over the five foot drop to rejoin the stream. The rest of the grassy area was dotted with mossy boulders. Bomba and MK clambered up one and settled down to eat the sandwiches MK had packed earlier, which were quite smushed but were eaten with gusto.

"Thanks for helping me look," Bomba said gratefully. "Once you know what to look for, we can cover twice as much ground! With your help, I'm sure we'll find them in no time!"

"Plus, I asked my friend Hiccup if he could send the Tooth Fairy over here to help us. If she knows who's hiding here, we might even get an introduction!"

The professor looked like he had just inherited his own private island in the Southern Isles. MK laughed delightedly as he squealed with joy at the prospect.

"Do you really think so?" he asked eagerly, eyes shining.

"Maybe, if she knows who these people are. And if not, her fairies could help us. They're about the size of your Leafmen, only they're birds. You'd like them."

Professor Bomba leaned back on the boulder and grinned. For awhile, nothing else was said. But eventually MK noticed that the sun was a good deal past high noon, and they had come a long way.

"How far do you think we came?" she asked.

Bomba looked at his watch and clicked some buttons. "Me, I've done about eight miles. But you only joined me part way through. Maybe five or six for you."

"But that was dashing all over the woods, and not in a straight line," MK said, looking around. "It might take us awhile to get back."

She found a tall pine and immediately started climbing it. The professor looked on in admiration.

"You know, for a princess you have a remarkable endurance and energy. First running around after a madman, then climbing…you've got to be up 20 feet by now! How do you do it?"

"I told you, I hated being a princess," MK called, still climbing. "I used to sneak out of the castle and over to the mainland where they had trees. Mum was furious, but she only caught me a few times. She didn't realize how often I escaped. Hey, I can see above the other trees now!"

"Can you see the house?"

"Give me a second," she said.

Slowly, her eyes scanned the surrounding forest. The old black house should be visible since it stood at the crest of a hill, but at the moment they were at the bottom of a small valley. It took a minute, but finally she picked out the roof from the trees.

"There! At least I think it is. It's _a_ house, at least."

"Probably mine!" Bomba called cheerfully. "Nobody else lives near here."

"That's the good news."

"And the bad?"

"It's a pretty far distance from the air, but the ground is very hilly and there's no straight path."

"We'll make it," Bomba promised. "Climb on down, we'll go ahead and get started. I have plenty of readings I need to analyze in the lab anyway."

"Oh, speaking of the lab, Penny called."

"Really?!"

His tone made MK pause. It was even more excited than when she told him about Toothiana coming…but underneath that was a layer of desperation and sorrow. She cleared her throat and continued her descent.

"Yeah. She's really upset, her dog ran away."

"Ozzie?! But he was there this morning."

"No, her current dog, the one on the TV show. Bolt."

"Oh. That's not good. Do you think I should call her?"

"She might appreciate that. Just…don't mention the Leafmen. Somehow it came up that I was about to come out here and help you. She was already upset and that really got her riled up."

"Oh." Bomba nodded sadly.

"She's just sensitive right now."

"No, she's always like that when my work is mentioned. If I can just prove that they exist, maybe…"

He couldn't finish the thought, instead helping her down the last few branches. Without saying a word, they gathered the supplies.

"Ah. Which way was the house?" Bomba asked.

MK smiled gently and took his hand. "This way."

They continued searching as they walked, but not at the frenzied pace they had earlier in the day. Relaxing in the shaded cove had been peaceful. Now that they were on the move again, the summer's heat intensified; MK longed for a siesta in her garden back home. Bomba seemed to know what she was thinking.

"So, I've shown you my world," he said. "Now tell me about yours. We don't have many princesses left, and those are followed by the media and don't have a lot of power. What was it like for you?"

"Dreary and boring, really. There was always a dinner or a ball to attend, if not at Corona then at Arendelle, our sister city, or some other kingdom. Parties were the worst; they lasted for a week or longer, and there was a ball or event every evening. Our whole afternoon was spent getting ready, we were up until midnight or hours later dancing and conversing with perfect posture and poise, and then we slept all morning."

Bomba shuddered sympathetically. "That sounds terrible."

"It was. I had some friends, of course, but mostly other princesses. I just saw them at the balls, and all of them were interested in finding a prince. I was the only one left out, which is why I escaped to the woods every chance I could get. I was either exhausted by the social events or bored out of my mind."

"Did you have school?"

"I had some form of lessons all my life. I had a tutor from the time I was 5 until I turned 13, when dad sent me to a princess boarding school on the mainland. Only half the girls spoke my language, and most of them were silly and girly. I made friends with a few of them, but I failed my classes and got sent home."

"Really? What did you do?"

"I was sarcastic, I made jokes in class to lighten things up a little. And I would always ruin my dresses, eat too much desert, trip someone up with my clumsiness. I'm just not cut out for being their kind of princess. Dad was pretty disappointed and didn't talk to me for days. Not that that was any different than usual." Bomba waited patiently while she gathered her thoughts. "He was busy talking with his advisors about Corona's problems, visiting diplomats about their country's problems, hearing the people's problems and helping them out, but he never listened to me talk about our family's problems. He was gone so much of the time that I never really knew him. I guess that's why I resisted being a princess. I tried to get his attention. And I didn't want to end up like him."

They walked on in silence.

"Does he know you're here?" Bomba asked.

"No. He died two years ago. The doctor said he overworked himself and didn't have enough rest. We'd just had this huge fight, too, about me being sent to another school. I told him I didn't want to go and that I would never become queen. We were all tense; emotions were high and there was a lot of yelling. I was angry at him for working so much and ignoring me and I told him so. I said some things I shouldn't have. It was too much for him. He died only a few hours later."

Gently, Bomba put an arm around her shoulder, and MK leaned into it gratefully as the memory consumed her.

 _"You really have to be more understanding of your father, Mary Katherine," Primrose reprimanded._

 _MK crossed her arms defiantly and stared into the fire. "I don't care. I hate him for trying to make me something I'm not, and I don't care if he knows it!"_

 _The doors burst open and a maid appeared, though MK did not see her face._

 _"My queen, the king demands your attention!"_

 _Her mother followed the servant rapidly, in such an unqueen-like manner that MK stopped brooding and wondered what had happened. Before she could come to a conclusion, an graceful scream tore through the palace._

 _"THOMAS!"_

 _MK leaped to her feet in alarm, all anger at their argument forgotten in an instant. On the stairs leading from the royal dining room to the royal suite, Prim knelt over the fallen figure of her husband. Moments earlier, MK was certain that she hated her father, now she regretted her every action. As she dove toward him, her dress tore, but Prim didn't even notice._

 _"Daddy! Daddy, no! Please, no!"_

 _She shook him desperately, and the maid tried to hold her back. Through her tears, everything seemed muted. Voices sounded from far away, though they were right next to her._

 _"Marguerite, run for the doctor. Phillip, find your strongest men and bring them here. M'lady, please, give him some room to breathe. Mary Katherine, do not shake him, that will not help."_

 _Strong, gentle hands pulled her away and she watched as her father was taken to his room. Although the doctor did all he could and the kings' body held on to signs of life, he never regained consciousness or opened his eyes. But it wasn't until the grass had grown over his grave that MK finally relinquished the hope that it was a bad dream, and that he was still alive in the real world._

"I'm sorry," she said, realizing she was crying.

"No, no, it's fine," Bomba said tenderly. "If you want, you can call, me dad."

MK looked up at him and smiled through the tears. "Thank you."


	4. Chapter 4: The Fire

**Author's Note: Sorry this took so long! This chapter required a bit more research than I expected, and it was a busy week. But now I'm on spring break so I'll hopefully be able to write more!**

* * *

MK stared out the car windows in wonder, trying to take in the sights of downtown Hollywood. Not that she knew what it even was, but it was her first big modern city. Cars and people rushed through the streets, taking photographs. Some were smiling, a few looked a little downcast.

"This is the movie district," Bomba explained continuing his tour. "They make a lot of movies and TV shows in this area."

"Including Penny's?"

"Yeah, we're actually going to pass it here in a minute. It's right up the street."

Suddenly, sirens split the air, and everyone looked panicked. Bomba slowed the car and barely dodged the fire engine that came speeding past them.

"What's going on?" she asked frantically.

"There's a fire," Bomba said urgently, his face white.

He revved the engine and took off again. Now MK could see the towering column of smoke rising from a building in the distance.

"Wait, shouldn't we be trying to avoid it?" she asked.

"Under normal circumstances, yes. But that's the studio where Penny is."

* * *

Penny kicked her legs frantically. She was trying hard not to panic, which is difficult when you've been abandoned in a burning building while suspended twenty feet in the air. Smoke had quickly filled the soundstage, she couldn't see if anyone was still in the room with her.

"Help! Somebody help me!"

"Penny!" It was her mother, although she couldn't see her. "Where are you?!"

"Mom, no! Get out while you can! You don't know how to get me down!"

"Use your release!"

Penny fumbled around with her harness until she found the release switch. She pulled it and fell screaming to the airbag below. The heat was swiftly deflating it; it was enough to break her fall without seriously injuring her, but she felt the muscles in her ankle strain. Gingerly, she texted her weight. It hurt like crazy, but she could last until she was out in the open air.

"Mom?!"

"I'll meet you outside!" she called. "Don't try to find me, just get out! I love you!"

Penny tried to call out, but just then a wall collapsed, sending a thick cloud of dust into the already smoky room. Her lungs filled with debris, and she coughed violently. By the time she recovered enough to move, her only thought was to get out. But by the time she got to the door, it was too late; it had collapsed, trapping her inside.

 _No, no, no! I have to get out! Ok, Penny, calm down. If this were happening on tv, what would you do? Bolt can't super-bark you out of this because the walls are too unstable. But there has to be another escape route!_

Quickly, she began following the outer wall in search for a break. She tried to move quickly while regulating her breathing, who knew how much oxygen she had left. It was difficult going, the pain in her ankle shot up her leg, increasing in intensity at every step. From her left, she heard a familiar and comforting bark.

 _Am I losing my mind?_ But then it came again. "Bolt!"

Now she saw the dog, _her_ dog. Not the replacement, but her own, real Bolt. They ran towards each other, weaving in and out of the mangled set. She hugged him tightly, relieved he was alive and forgetting about the fire for one instant.

"I knew you'd come back," she whispered.

Suddenly there was a loud crashing noise above them. One of the fake metal helicopters was falling, bringing down a piece of wooden set. Screaming, she jumped up and ran out of the way. Darkness enveloped her, whether from the dust or the pain she wasn't sure. When her vision cleared, Bolt was by her face, whining worriedly. Her body felt weaker, and the pain in her ankle was so great that she could hardly walk on her own.

Coughing, she threw a bit of rope and croaked, "Bolt, zoom zoom."

He took it in his mouth and ran, dragging her behind as she coughed and stumbled through the maze of debris. Ahead of them was a pinpoint of clear light, and they raced toward it hopefully, but their hearts sank as they realized it was just a vent. Bolt tried to squeeze through it, as he had done in many episodes, but this time Penny could not follow. She lay on the ground where she had fallen without even noticing. Bolt nudged her arm but she had no more energy; she had lost track of how long it had been since the fire started. Slowly, Penny reached out and feebly tried to push him away.

"Bolt, go on out. Go. It's gonna be ok." Whining, Bolt lay down and forced his way into her arms. "You're a good boy. I love you," Penny cried. "Daddy, I'm sorry. I love you and mom. Take care of him, MK..."

* * *

The scene of fire was chaotic. People were running away screaming in fear and pain, calling loved ones, yelling for doctors. Firefighters, who looked much more frightening up close with all their equipment then they had on tv, ran towards the fire. Sirens wailed and a helicopter circled the area from above, adding to the deafening roar of the burning, collapsing building. MK was so overwhelmed and confused that she nearly tackled Dr. Calico before remembering that he was a normal person.

"Penny! Penny!" Bomba yelled, running around like crazy. "Has anyone seen Penny? Or Susan? Anyone? Has anyone seen my family?"

The man who played Dr. Calico went pale; MK could see that through this ashen face. "Last I saw her, she was hanging down from the set..."

"Did anyone get her down?!" Bomba shrieked.

"Ok, let's all calm down," a new guy with glasses and spiky blonde hair said. "She's probably perfectly safe; we just can't see her because there's too many people..."

"Don't tell me to calm down!" Bomba said, slapping him. "Where is my daughter?"

MK left them trying to find the stunt men and weaved her way through the flow of people. She was used to sneaking through town and throwing off any guards sent to protect her, so she was able to canvass the entire area quite quickly. Returning to Bomba, she found him earnestly talking with a fireman.

"Sir, it's been fifteen minutes since the fire began. If she's still inside her chances of survival are slim, even if we can dig her out."

"MK, did you see her?" Bomba asked, noticing her. Out of breath, she shook her head nervously, and he turned back to the firefighter. "Please, you have to try and find her, she's my baby girl!"

"Sir, my men are doing everything they can. But the main door is blocked, and there's no other way to get inside."

Desperate, Bomba turned to look at the flames leaping from the building with a look in his eyes that MK was all too familiar with. It was the same look that Jack had whenever Rapunzel, Elsa, or Anna was in danger.

"Hey! Be quiet, everyone, be quiet!" a voice yelled with such authority and urgency that everyone instantly obeyed.

In the quiet, MK could hear everyone's ragged breathing and the continuing crackle of the fire. But then a bark sounded and echoed from around the corner. MK gasped.

"That's the super bark! That's Bolt!"

Firefighters ran to the sound while police held back the anxious crowd. Bomba tried to push through, but MK was left behind. Trying to see over the heads of everyone else, she jumped and caught a glimpse of large saws hacking away at the wall. The crowd held their breath as one of the men shine a flashlight into the smoky dark.

"They're here! We found them!"

"Please, let me through, I'm her father!" Bomba cried as soon as he heard.

Another jump provided a swift glimpse of Penny being pulled out of the wreckage, along with a small white lump that must have been Bolt.

"Coming through! Move it!"

This time, MK had to jump sideways to avoid being hit by a thin bed on wheels being pushed by several nurses. A few seconds later it was wheeled in the opposite direction, with Penny lying down on the bed, followed by Bomba carrying Bolt. The nurses started loading the stretcher into the ambulance, and MK ran after them; she knew what came next.

"Wait! Wait for me! Bomba! Dad!"

But the doors had already shut and they were driving away, sirens screaming. MK stood in the middle of the chaos, people running around her and brushing her shoulder, sounds and smoke surrounding her and clouding her senses as she realized how alone she was. Left behind in a strange city, with no knowledge of how to drive or directions to get a cab home. With a start, she realized she didn't know Bomba's phone number or how to contact him. She didn't even have a snow globe. The reality of the situation and the stress and emotional turmoil of the past few weeks came crashing down on her, and MK burst into tears.

When she came to her senses, she was sitting on a bench some distance away from the building, along with several other terrified, shocked looking people. All of them, including MK, had a light blue blanket thrown over their shoulders. For a few minutes, MK focused on breathing and coming up with the next logical step. Finally, she was able to stop one of the nurses.

"Excuse me, I was staying with my cousin Penny...she's the star of the tv show. Do you know where they took her?"

"The hospital," the nurse said, somewhat confused as if it were an obvious answer.

"Yes, but how would I get there? Her father drove me here, and he jumped in the ambulance with her."

"And you don't have the keys?" the nurse guessed.

"No, ma'am. I don't even know how to drive."

"Well, if you're up for it, then it's close enough where you can walk."

"I'm up to it. I wasn't in the fire; I just came with Penny's dad, and I wasn't hurt."

"Well then," the nurse said, "you go straight down this street for two blocks, then turn right and go one block. Here, take this water bottle with you. Don't overwork yourself; it's so hot you could get a heatstroke."

MK thanked her and started walking.

* * *

"Shh, she's sleeping," Bomba said as MK walked into the bleary hospital room.

Penny was lying on the hospital bed, hooked up to wires and breathing machines. Bolt lay next to her, sleepy but vigilant. He perked up his ears when he saw MK but didn't bark at her. All three of the room's occupants were streaked with soot, and so, MK realized, was she.

"I'm sorry I ran off earlier," Bomba murmured.

"You had to be with Penny; she needed you more than I did."

Bomba nodded gratefully. "How did you find us?"

"I asked a nurse where they had taken her. I told them she was my cousin, and I was staying with you so they'd let me in."

"Good story. Must have been convincing."

MK smiled gently and sat down on an empty chair right as Penny began to stir. She cast her droopy eyes around the room frantically, unsure where she was. Bomba quickly knelt by her bed.

"Hey, Penny. Can you hear me? It's your dad. You're going to be alright, I promise."

"Where's Bolt?" she whispered hoarsely.

"He's right here." Gently, Bomba took her hand and placed it on the dog.

"What happened?" Penny asked.

"There was a fire at the studio. Somehow you got trapped inside and passed out, but Bolt started barking, and the firefighters were able to find you. You'll have to stay here in the hospital for a few days though for all the smoke inhalation, but you'll be fine."

Penny nodded weakly and closed her eyes, slowly stroking Bolt. There was a knock on the door, and MK went to answer it. Standing outside was a tall woman with dark skin and sad brown eyes. She, too, was covered in soot and smelled like smoke, so MK assumed that she had also been at the fire.

"Hi, I'm Amy, Penny's personal assistant," she said softly. "I have some...bad news for her. Is she awake?"

"Yes, but barely. Professor?"

Bomba walked over to them, but Amy couldn't look directly at him.

"Are you Penny's father and Susan's husband?" she asked softly.

"Yes. Well, ex-husband..." Suddenly the truth hit him. "Is she...?"

"I'm sorry."

Bomba would have collapsed if MK hadn't been standing nearby. Luckily a young doctor was passing and stopped to make sure everything was ok.

"Do you have a private room where this man can grieve?" MK asked him.

"Yes ma'am, I'll take him there immediately."

MK ushered Amy back into the room. Penny was thoroughly awake now and was trying to control her breathing.

"Where's dad?"

"Gone out for a moment," Amy answered. "I'm so glad you're alright, Penny; I was so worried. We all were."

Penny didn't react. "Where's mom?"

Amy's eyes filled with tears and Penny turned away to face the wall. Her fists clenched, and she started breathing faster. Bolt sat up and looked at her worriedly as the various machines began to beep intensely.

"Penny..." Amy began.

"No, don't say anything!"

"Penny, I'm sorry."

"Don't! Don't say it! Don't say it! Go away!"

Violently, Penny coughed, her entire body convulsed and the pristine white sheets by her head turned an ashen gray. Alarmed, MK pushed Amy out of the way and tried to calm her friend down. As Amy ran out of the room yelling for a doctor, the oxygen mask fell, and MK could hear Penny's lungs wheezing and her throat constricting.

"Penny, I'm here, it's going to be alright," MK said soothingly, grabbing her shoulders and holding her down.

Penny just thrashed harder. At that moment, a doctor and several nurses ran in. The doctor quickly reapplied the mask and shouted orders at the nurses, who were frantically pressing buttons on the machines. Gradually, Penny stopped struggling and fell back into unconsciousness.

"Is she ok?" MK asked.

"She'll be awake in an hour," the doctor said calmly, laying a hand on her forehead. "Call us again if you need anything," he added as they left.

"I have to go," Amy apologized. "I lost my phone and my family will be worried sick if they saw it on the news."

"It's ok; you can go."

Nodding her thanks, Amy started towards the door, but then she paused.

"What will happen to her?" she asked.

"Is her mother really dead?" Amy nodded tearfully. "Then I suppose she'll come home with us when she's able. She's going to hate it but there's no other choice is there?"

"No. And I guess it's too early to tell if she'll come back?"

"Why wouldn't she?"

Amy tensed. "I've been trying to get her to quit for years. They're controlling her like a puppet, but she loved the acting. Maybe she'll use the fire as an excuse to get out."

"I'll ask her about it," MK promised, more out of curiosity than anything.

"Thank you."

Amy left as Bomba returned. He sat on a chair by the window and gazed out miserably.

"I think I should probably stop calling you dad for awhile, shouldn't I?" MK asked shyly.

"I don't mind. Honestly."

"Yes but Penny will."

"Well," Bomba said, finally turning and looking at the bed. "She's going to have to learn to do a lot of things differently when she comes to live with us."


	5. Chapter 5: Death of a Queen

"Whoa, I can see you!" MK exclaimed. "When did that happen?"

"It's called Skype," Penny said, smiling weakly. "I'm surprised you figured it out; good job."

"Well it looked like a regular phone call to me," MK said, shrugging.

"It's pretty similar."

Suddenly she started coughing violently. She doubled over and closed her eyes, obviously struggling as her weak frame heaved. MK watched worriedly. Finally, Penny brought her rapid breathing under control and opened her eyes.

"Where are you?" she asked hoarsely.

"I'm on your old bed," MK said, holding up the phone to show her.

"Why on earth do you have the window open? It's burning up out there."

"There's a bit of a breeze today. Trust me, it feels much better this way. Which, um, brings me to the room situation."

"Oh."

"There is a spare room," MK said. "I could move in there if you wanted your familiar old room. But I also know there are a lot of memories in here too. Or we could share a room if you didn't want to be alone."

"I don't even know," Penny sighed. "They won't release me until tonight or even tomorrow, so I won't have time to move my stuff anyway. And the spare room is full of junk, isn't it?"

"Well...yeah," MK confessed.

"I'll sleep on the couch tonight, I guess. And I'll decide tomorrow."

"Ok," MK said. "Well I'm open to anything. My living arrangements are hopefully temporary."

"Don't go yet," Penny pleaded. "Living with dad is going to be a nightmare, but it would be easier if you were there."

MK smiled. "It's not as bad as you think. You just have to give him a chance. But I will stay at least until you're settled in, I promise."

"Where is dad right now, anyway?" Penny asked, coughing a little. "It's quiet."

"He's out in the woods on a walk," MK said, unnecessarily pointing.

"Yeah, right. He's looking for his creatures again, isn't he?"

"Actually, no. He didn't take any equipment with him this time. I asked if I could go too, but he said he just needed a long walk alone. I think...it hit him pretty hard."

Penny looked away and bit her lip, whether in sorrow or anger MK couldn't tell. But abruptly, she turned her head and her eyes narrowed.

"I hear barking. Where's Ozzie?"

MK heard it too and glanced out the window. "Oh, he's outside chasing a butterfly or some insect..."

"He's not allowed outside!" Penny yelled in alarm. "He ran away and lost his leg last time! Quick, to get him!"

Quickly, MK set the phone down and ran out. By the time she reached the backyard, Ozzie had bolted towards the woods.

"Ozzie!" MK yelled. "Come here, boy! Get back here!"

Dashing after him, MK was so preoccupied that she didn't notice the thundering clouds gathering above the little valley. Ozzie had disappeared into the thick underbrush, but she could hear him sniffing and barking a few feet ahead. Again and again she nearly caught him, but always he slipped from her grasp and led her farther in. The wind whipped through MK's hair so fiercely that it nearly undid her ponytail. Leaves and birds swirled and flew around her, increasing her sense of urgency. Rain began to fall, gently at first, but the deluge increased with every second. Then, in all the chaos, something caught her eye. A tiny, glowing form fell from the sky, untouched by the wind and rain.

MK reached out a hand and gently caught it.

Bending closer, she could make out the shivering form of a woman. With a cry, MK quickly laid the woman down on the soft moss at the base of a tree. Instantly, the trees around bent over and created a safe canopy from the rain.

"You're one of the Leafmen!" MK exclaimed, examining her.

She thought she could see the woman's mouth moving, but if she made sound MK could not hear it. Reverently, the woman raised something to her mouth. The thing shot up at MK, and, it out realizing it, she caught it. In the next second, her head was filled with excruciating pain, and she thought it would explode. It felt like going through a snowglobe portal, only 10 times worse. She was so dizzy she could only see a blur of green. When she was able to see again, everything looked somehow different, and she was lying down. MK was wondering if she'd even blacked out for a second when she noticed the woman lying a few feet away from her. She had dark skin like Amy's, and beautiful flowing brown hair. But, in alarm, MK realized that there was an ugly black arrow sticking up from her green dress.

"Are you ok?!" she asked frantically, rising to her feet.

She fell as soon as she got up, still disoriented from her ordeal, and was glad the woman was close by. The woman looked up at her and smiled weakly.

"Um, should I try to pull it out, or would that make it worse?"

The lady, for she had a look of importance and grace about her, shook her head. "Nothing can save me now."

"I don't...I didn't even see...what happened?"

"Shh. It'll be ok." She lay a hand on the thing MK had caught, which looked like an unopened flower bud. "You have to take care of this. It's the life of the forest. If you don't then the forest and everything in it will die. Take the pod to Nim Galuu."

"Don't talk like you're going to die! Was there anyone with you, or...?"

A rustling around her caught MK's attention. As she looked up, she realized that they were now surrounded by a dozen angry looking men and women. When she saw that they all had bows, swords, and helmets, MK pulled the lady closer and held her protectively.

"Tara!"

A man pushed through the soldiers and ran towards them with such a look of utter concern that MK immediately relinquished the woman to him.

"Hello, Ronin," Tara whispered, smiling.

"Tara, I'm sorry."

"It wasn't your fault. You were right you know. You were always right."

"I don't want to be right. I want..." He choked on the words.

"So serious…" she breathed.

Robin drew Tara close, pressing her forehead to his. In shock, MK watched in as Tara's body dissolved into a billion bubbles of glowing lights and floated away. The soldiers removed their helmets and knelt in respect. She was gone in a moment, and Ronin was left holding nothing and looking at the black grass where Tara had lain. One of the soldiers walked over and laid a gentle hand on Ronin's shoulder.

"I'm sorry. But the boggans are still out there."

"Yes, of course," he said, standing. He turned to MK. "My name's Ronin."

"MK," she said shyly, still in shock.

"May I see that?" he asked, holding out his hands and looking at the bud.

MK realized she had been holding onto it tightly, and that young green tendrils had wrapped around her arms.

"She gave it to me."

"And did she tell you anything about it?"

"Only that I needed to take care of it, and that the forest would die if I didn't. And something about someone named Nim...Gloop or canoe or something."

"Nim Galuu," Ronin said. "Of course, he'll know." He turned back to his men. "Fly back to Moonhaven, set up a perimeter and prepare for tonight. I'll message you from Nim's."

"What about me?" MK asked.

"I can handle this from here," he said, grabbing the pod.

It wrapped tighter around MK, and she fought back instinctively.

"Whoa, whoa whoa! Sir! Do not pull on the pod!"

A slug as tall as MK popped up in between them. She was so startled she stumbled back a few paces. In shock, she looked around, and realized for the first time that she had shrunk. The trees rose hundreds of feet in the air and the soldiers mounted hummingbirds equipped with saddles and reins.

"Hang on, I gotta deal with this first," Ronin said in the distance. He laid a hand on her shoulder. "Are you ok?"

"No!" MK exploded vehemently. "First, I was tricked, trapped in the future with no way home. Then I watched my new friend lose her mother and have a mental breakdown, and today I was shrunk and watched somebody else died! And on top of that, she gives me this thing and says I have an entire forest's chances of survival riding on my shoulders! No, I am not ok!" She turned and screamed at the hidden sky. "What are you doing?! Why did you put me here? Do you even have a plan or are you just trying to mess with me!"

"Calm down," Ronin said, placing both hands on her shoulders and making her sit down. "I don't know why you were shrunk either, but we'll figure it out together. You're not the only one trying to protect this forest."

"Is there any way to make me big again?" MK asked, panting.

"If the queen shrunk you...she's dead."

"Is there anyone else with magic powers? An heir? A princess or something?"

"Yes. In here."

He tapped the pod and looked intently at MK. Her eyes widened.

"Ah." She drew in a breath. "Ok. What do I need to do."

"First we're going to need another bird. I can't carry the four of us on one bird for long."

"Are we going too, then?" a snail asked excitedly.

Ronin sighed. "Apparently, yes. MK, meet Mub and Grub. They know how to take care of the pod and we have to take them with us."

"Ok," she said, shaking her head. She decided to deal with it later. "Where are we going to get another bird?"

"The races aren't far from here," Ronin said, looking around. "I guess everyone can ride to there. Hop on."


	6. Chapter 6: Nod

The bird barely lifted off the ground. Sighing, Ronin dismounted.

"Would you rather run of fly?" he asked MK.

"Is it like flying a dragon?" she asked. "But smaller?"

Ronin eyes her skeptically. "Maybe. I wouldn't know. Let's try it. The bird will follow me, it won't need a lot of direction."

MK took the reins and the bird rose into the air. It still didn't get very high, but it seemed to fly a little better. Ronin ran along the ground beside them, climbing over bushes and fallen sticks. Everything was still wet and slippery, but at least it had stopped raining. MK didn't know what rain might feel like at this size.

"So, how is the heir in this thing?" she asked.

"That is not a thing, it's called a Pod," Mub said crossly. "And it contains the life of the forest and the magic of Queen Tara. So respect it!"

"Ok, I'm sorry. I just got here, I'm still trying to understand...everything," she trailed off, observing the local life.

Up close, the other residents of the forest weren't just tiny people and talking animals. There were other creatures camouflaged as mushrooms, sticks, and dandelions. Others looked like hybrids, a cross between a cricket and a man, or a woman and a butterfly. All looked at the little party curiously.

"So," she continued, trying to ignore the stares and not return them. "What do we have to do to release the...spirit heir?"

"Oh, we don't know that bit," Grub said cheerfully. "We've only been taught how to take care of the pods until the queen chose one. And it only happens every hundred years, so we don't have anyone who's been around that long to remember or tell us."

"The queen was a hundred years?!"

"Yes," Ronin said. "Royalty and those close to them live longer than other Leafmen."

"So, you really are called Leafmen?"

"Yes," Ronin said suspiciously.

 _Dad was right! I mean I knew he was right about their existence, but to guess the name is even more clever than I thought._ There was another thing, too, something he had said earlier that morning. _What was it? Today was the day a full moon coincided with the summer solstice for the first time in a hundred years. That must have something to do with the Pod, and maybe even with my being here._

"Here, hop off," Ronin called, interrupting her musings. "The races aren't far now. We can walk."

The poor hummingbird was really struggling now, so MK handed off the reins to an enthusiastic Grub and joined Ronin on the ground. She found she could keep up with the bird easily, but it didn't leave much time for talking. A few minutes later, the forest fell away and a clearing opened up. A solitary tree drew a great crowd of forest creatures, and a few birds circled the field looking down on the proceedings.

"Why are we here again?" MK asked as they found a seat near the great tree.

"I need another bird, and possibly a spare soldier."

MK eyed the line up of tough looking creatures glaring at each other and looking determinedly ahead. "Them?"

"No. I had a rogue soldier run away, and I figured he'd be here, but...oh. Of course." He pointed to the latest man to join the lineup. "The clumsy one who was almost late. That's Nod."

Unlike the others, Nod looked more pleasant. He was a Leafman, and even looked like he was MK's age, if not the Leafmen equivalent. A whistle blew and the racers took off across the field. From a distance, Nod faded into the crowd, zipping around other trees at the end of the forest. One of the birds did a dive-bomb to the ground and the crowd gasped.

"Now that's a dirty trick!" the announcer yelled. "And that's just the kind of thing we've come to expect here. This is bird racing, folks, not a parade! Look's like Nod's out of the race."

"What happened?" MK asked.

Ronin seemed unmoved. "One of the other racers threw a worm and Nod's bird went after it. They're right over a patch of thorns."

"Is he gonna be ok?"

"Don't underestimate him just yet," he said, watching.

"Wait a minute! Nod is down but not out!" the announcer screamed excitedly. "Don't let his old bird fool you, the kid's on a comeback trail!"

"Yes!" MK yelled, caught up in the moment.

Even Ronin grinned as they saw Nod weaving his way to the front. They were nearing the tree again, and the crowd was screaming.

"Here it comes, they're beak to beak, wing to wing…and it's Nod by a tail-feather! I bet there are a lot of unhappy faces in the crowd right now!"

In the commotion following the finish, they lost track of Nod. Ronin bit his lip worriedly.

"Wait here," he instructed. "I'll meet you when I find him."

Mub, Grub and MK watched Ronin weave his way through the crowd.

"Maybe we should follow him, in case he gets in trouble!" Grub exclaimed heroically.

"Or if we lose him," MK said. "You don't know how to get to Nim's do you?"

"Not from here," Mub admitted.

"Then that settles it," she said.

She gently snapped the reins, and the hummingbird automatically followed Ronin's path. Unfortunately, it still couldn't get very high, and it took several attempts before they caught up. MK pulled back on the reins and made the bird wait just outside the hole in the tree, listening to the voices inside.

"Ronin, I'm sorry. I know you two were..."

"It doesn't matter. I'm taking the Pod to Nim Galuu's to see what he knows. But I need an extra bird."

"I'm coming with you."

"No you're not. You quit, remember?"

"Yeah, well you need me. Who do you have with you?"

"I can handle it on my own."

At that moment MK felt a push behind her. She'd been so involved in the conversation tag she hadn't noticed Mub and Grub fighting. The bird lurched forward and MK slid off the saddle, hanging on to the bird with just her legs. Suddenly she found herself hanging upside down and staring up into the faces of a disapproving Ronin and an unimpressed Nod.

"I'll get my saddle," Nod said as Ronin simultaneously directed him to do just that.

MK grinned apologetically. _Nice. Way to make an awkward first impression, MK._

"You. Go with him," Ronin said, helping her get right side up. "I need to have a word with these slugs."

"Excuse me, sir, I am a snail!" Grub said, pulling himself up to his full height.

MK tuned out the rest of their discussion as she joined Nod on his old, tired sparrow. As soon as she was settled, they shot out of the tree, leaving behind the rest of their entourage.

"Do you mind slowing down?" MK yelled into Nod's ear.

"What? This isn't even fast! This is slow for her."

"Yeah, well..."

"I'm Nod, by the way," he said, twisting around to look at her.

"MK," she said, noticing his deep green eyes.

"You're not from around here, are you?"

"How can you tell?"

"Well, you're clothes for one thing. Nobody around here has anything like that. So, where are you from?"

"Along way away. Um, could you face the way we're flying?"

"Oh, don't worry. She practically flies herself. What's wrong? You're acting like you've never ridden a bird before."

"Technically, I haven't until today."

"What? You can't be serious. Well, allow me to give you the full experience. Put your arms around me."

"Whoa, we just met. I barely know you aaaahhhh!"

She screamed as the bird dived toward the ground. For her own safety, she threw her arms around Nod as the bird spun and twisted back into the sky.

"Nod! Perch your bird!" Ronin barked angrily, trailing them.

Rolling his eyes, Nod landed in a tree a few feet ahead and turned to ask Ronin what the big deal was. MK laid a hand on his shoulder and pointed straight ahead; Nod gasped. They were on the edge of a rotting forest. Bare, twisted trunks of dead trees were black and smoking, the ground looked like it was covered in tar. As far as MK could see, there was nothing green or alive anywhere in the devastation. But worse still, the blackness was spreading to the rest of the forest.

"See this?" Ronin said. "This is what will happen if we don't get that Pod to safety. Now come on, we'll go around."

"What? Are you scared?" Nod scoffed. "That'll take way too long. Besides, no one's out there."

"Oh, really?" Ronin whispered, pointing.

Ahead, a single crow flew across the swamp, and on it's back was the most disgusting, ugly creature MK had ever seen. It did not look like something they wanted to cross.

"Oh, come on," Nod said. "It's just one scout."

"Wait!" MK cried as he launched the bird forward.

"Nod!" Ronin yelled.

The creature on the crow saw them and shrieked. Instantly, a huge flock of the creatures rose up from the rot in front of them. Once again, MK held on to Nod as he swerved the sparrow closer to the ground away from the filthy ranks.

"Get to the ground!" she heard Ronin yelling.

MK opened her eyes in time to see the bird dive into a small tunnel. It crashed to the ground and immediately flew out again, leaving Nod and MK behind.

"What are those things?" MK gasped.

"What, you've never seen a boggan before?" Nod asked. "Someone had a happy childhood. Come on, let's go find Ronin."

"Wait, up there?" MK was fuming. "No way. Those things almost killed us!"

Nod's eyes widened and he held up his hands. "Don't turn around," he whispered.

She froze. "Is it a boogie?"

"Walk towards me slowly…" he said, backing away.

MK couldn't help it, she turned around. Deeper inside the tunnel, red eyes glowed, and they were getting closer. Before she could run, however, a little mouse came out.

"Aw, it's a mouse! Hi, mousey!"

She watched as it circled her and reached down to pet it. Nod looked on in disbelief.

"What are you doing?!"

"Look at it's little hands, and it's little whiskers!"

The mouse shook it's head, then rose up on it's back legs. Suddenly, it towered over MK, and it looked much more ferocious from beneath. Screaming, she dived back to Nod, and they ran toward the entrance to the hole. Nod automatically jumped out, which was incredible since it was about twenty feet high for MK.

"Hello! Other person!"

"Just jump!" Nod yelled.

"I can't jump that high!"

But as the mouse charged her, she screamed and did it anyway. To her amazement, she soared up to Nod's level, then landed back next to the mouse.

"Whoa! Did you see that?"

"OUT! Jump out!"

MK looked determinedly at the charging rodent, then jumped confidently. She didn't notice there was a protruding root blocking her escape until she hit her head.

* * *

Everything was blurry; MK tried to shake the sleep from her eyes. She thought she could hear someone talking, but couldn't quite open her eyes.

"Dad? I had the most messed up dream. There were talking slugs, and boogies riding crows, and I found the Leafmen…" She opened her eyes and saw Nod and Ronin looking down on her in concern, while Mub and Grub watched from the top of the hole. "Aww, man!"

"You ok?" Ronin asked, helping her to her feet.

"Physically, yes," she grumbled.

"Ok, we're switching seats. You're with me." He turned to Nod. "You go with the slugs."

"What?!" Nod exclaimed.

"Thank you," MK breathed.

Ronin walked her over to the hummingbird to make sure she was ok, leaving Nod and Mub, who had appeared out of nowhere, in an intense conversation.

"Did you know I can jump twenty feet high? Well, twenty feet in your world, anyway."

"I wondered," he said dryly. "But look where you're going and don't knock yourself out next time. You're lucky Nod isn't just a reckless boy but a trained soldier."

"He didn't kill the mouse, did he?" she asked worriedly, looking around for a corpse and wondering what on earth Mub was doing with his eye stalks.

"No. He just held it off until I scared it away."

"Oh."

Gracefully, she leaped onto the bird behind Ronin.

"You're really comfortable on a bird, aren't you?"

"Like I said, I've ridden dragons. I'm used to flying. Now, can we go to Nim's?"


	7. Chapter 7: Scrolls of Knowledge

It was evening by the time they reached Nim's tree. The forest was darkening, but there was still enough light for them to see the swarms of creatures flooding to the tree.

"This is even more crowded than the races!" MK exclaimed.

"Did the queen tell everyone to come here?" Grub asked, disappointed.

"Between the storm and the spreading rot, everyone's just looking for answers. They don't know the queen is...but they know Nim will have the answers."

"So, who is this Nim anyway?" MK asked. "Is he like the wise old guy of the forest? Like a troll or something?"

"More like the crazy old uncle of the forest," Nod said, laughing.

"He has a good heart," Ronin said. "But he can be a little absent-minded at times. He might not know yet."

Inside, MK caught snippets of conversation.

"Is it true? Is the queen really dead?"

"But Tara can't be dead!"

"The rot is everywhere! And it keeps spreading!"

"It destroyed the meadow in one afternoon," someone said in shock.

"I grew up there. That was my home."

Nod took her arm and gently led her to a side passage of the hollow tree. From there, they could see a stage bathed in purple, blue, and green lights. A hush fell over the crowd as ropes and pulleys started moving. White butterflies burst out of a hole in the ground, and a green worm followed, hoisted up on a little cage.

"Friends, neighbors! Prepare to see your worries..." He spun his hands around a butterfly, and it vanished. "Disappear!" The crowd gasped in amazement. "I have just returned from the Rings of Knowledge, where every memory, every event that happens in the forest, is recorded in these scrolls!"

More butterflies appeared, bringing with them dusty scrolls. Even MK was impressed with the show as Nim Galuu started singing.

"Listen, party-poopers, I got something to say: dry your weeping eyes we're gonna be okay, so you don't have to worry 'bout a doggone thing. The Rings of Knowledge know everything!"

He took out a scroll and waved it around himself. When the paper fluttered to the ground, Mub and Grub were in his place, and Nim was juggling scrolls out in the crowd.

"The scrolls never lie and honey, neither does Nim! So don't your worry your pretty little head; it says right here that the queen is…"

Nim did a double take and hurriedly glanced over the rest of the scrolls. The word _dead_ hung over the crowd, and the fear once again flowed through the room. Nim stared at them, speechless and panicked.

"Do another chorus," he whispered to his back-up flowers.

Nim quickly scooted off stage, straight into the tunnel were Ronin, Nod, and MK were waiting.

"Ronin! Did you know..."

"Yes, I was there. Nim, we need your help. Without Tara, we don't know anything about the Pod. Her last words were to bring it to you. I think there's something in the scrolls that can tell us what to do."

"Ah, of course! Follow me."

* * *

Hmm, let's see. Ah ha! Here it is. 'Every hundred years when a full moon coincides with the summer solstice, the Queen may choose a Pod to store her spirit and power. At midnight, under the light of the full moon, the Pod will bloom, and an heir will be selected. Until that time, keep the Pod moist.'"

"Told you!" Mub said. "May I?"

He turned to MK importantly, and she gave him the Pod.

"What happens if the Pod blooms in darkness?" Grub asked worriedly.

"That part is missing," Nim said. "I have a problem with bookworms, sorry."

"Well, I guess we'll just take the Pod back to Moonhaven and keep the boggans away," Ronin said.

"Easier said than done," Nod said.

"Do you mind if I send a message?" Ronin asked.

"Be my guest! You know where the fireflies are."

"Mr. Nim, sir?" MK asked. "Could I speak to you for a moment?"

"Of course! You all go on ahead," he said, waving them forward. "Just call me Nim."

"I don't know how to say this, but I'm not exactly from here. Tara shrunk me right before we died...and before that, I traveled in time. The point is, I'm stuck here. Do you think there's anything in the scrolls that could help me get home?"

"Hmm. I'll see what I can do." He stuck two hands in his mouth and whistled. "Hey! Bring me all the scrolls involving Tara from this morning!"

A moment later, a moth brought him two or three parchments. Nim examined them carefully, then handed one to MK.

"Try this one," he said.

She opened it, but it was blank. "There's nothing here; it's empty."

"Blow on it," Nim said secretly.

 _It's not_ that _dusty,_ she thought. But she blew on it all the same.

Colorful bubbles, similar to the kind Tara turned into, flew off the page and surrounded the air. To her left, MK saw the body of Tara being laid on the ground by gigantic hands. Naturally she assumed she had traveled back in time, and ran up to the queen.

"Queen Tara!"

"Come closer," Tara's soft voice called weakly. "Closer."

"I need to speak with you, and we don't have much time," MK said urgently.

Tara ignored her and kept looking at the larger version of herself.

"If you can hear me, that means you made it to Nim's," Tara said. "The Pod needs you; I can't be around for it anymore. I had a dream that you would be here today, I just didn't know you'd be big." She smiled. "I know you're scared, but you're here for a reason. Maybe you can't see the connections yet, but just because you can't see it, doesn't mean it's not there."

"You're...a...Leafmen," the larger MK said in slow motion.

Tara smiled. "I can see why he sent you. As we Leafmen say, "Many leaves, one tree." We're all individuals, but we're still connected. No one's alone. Even if you don't understand, just be with the Pod when it blooms. And then you'll get back what you've been given."

Slowly, Tara raised the Pod to her mouth and blew.

"No, don't do that! What are you doing?" MK yelled. "I still don't understand!"

All of Tara's energy seemed drained as the Pod flew to MK's hands. The present MK watched herself being thrown around and shrunk to the size of a Leafman as the memory faded. She turned back to Nim, looking for further explanation, but he was astounded. His little mouth hung open and he was motionless. Finally he shook it off.

"Whoa! I should look through more of these!"

"What did she mean?"

"You were supposed to be here, obviously," Nim said, scratching his bald head. "Someone sent you here and then she shrunk you to help with the Pod. I don't know who sent you, though."

MK sighed. "I do. It was the Man in the Moon. I guess it makes sense since the Pod does have to bloom in moonlight. I just don't know why it was me, not one of the Guardians."

"Well, maybe you'll find out when the Pod blooms. You'll go with it, won't you?"

"Yeah," she said softly. "We're connected now. I won't just leave it, especially when it's in danger."

"I'm glad," Nim said. "Now I think I should go back and calm my restless crowd. They need to know the truth."

The ride to the top was silent; only now did MK realize the true gravity of the situation. Ronin stared straight ahead, not looking at anything, and Mub tried to stare Nod down. Grub kept the Pod moist and ignored everyone else.

"Friends," Nim announced solemnly. "The tumors our true. Our beloved Queen Tara was killed by boggans earlier today. But there is hope!" He took the Pod from a reluctant Grub and held it high. "When this Pod blooms at midnight, a new heir will be chosen, and the boggans reign of terror will end. I know you're sad about Queen Tara, and I am too. But she wouldn't want us to mourn her. Instead, we should celebrate her life! Drinks on the house!"

The peppy music began playing again, and the astonished crowd began milling about, taking advantage of the free drinks. The conversation was still subdued, but the panic had decreased significantly. Instead, people were sharing happy memories of the Queen, and expressing their hope for the future.

"I'm going back down to the scrolls with Nim," Ronin said laying a hand on MK's shoulder. "We'll be back in a few minutes. Stay with the Pod and keep it safe."

"Ok," MK said. "I hope you find what you're looking for."

Ronin nodded his thanks and quickly followed Nim. The atmosphere still felt a little strange to MK, and she desperately wished she could be back with Bomba and Penny. Or, better yet, home with her mother, where the only strange things were the Guardians. Looking around, she spotted Nod standing at a side door to the tree, casually flipping his sword. The sun shone directly behind him, which made for quite the romantic picture, MK thought. Smiling a little shyly, she made her way over to him. He smiled back and stuck his sword into the side of the tree.

"Hi."

"Hey. So, I'm thinking maybe I didn't make the best first impression."

"It's ok. I've never had a guy fight a mouse for me before."

"Not one for parties?"

"Not really. I don't know anyone, anyway."

"To Queen Tara!" a cheer rose up from the crowd.

"Do you want to go somewhere quieter?" he nodded outside.

"Ronin said we should stay with the Pod," MK said hesitantly.

"He said to make sure it was safe," Nod specified. "And there's nowhere safer than Nim's tree, except maybe Moonhaven. I think he's just pretty upset about the queen. Are you coming or not?"

He held out his hand expectingly. Hesitating, MK looked back at the party. Mub and Grub stood next to the Pod, and she knew Nim and Ronin weren't far away. Besides, she was starting to like Nod and wanted to spend more time with him. In the end, her heart had the final say, and she took his hand. Nod grinned and yanked her out of the tree.


	8. Chapter 8: Deer Ride

Screaming, MK felt her stomach rise as they fell the equivalent of at least 200 feet. But thanks to her escort, they landed softly on a springy leaf. It was thrilling and terrifying at the same time.

"Could you give me a warning next time?" MK asked shakily.

"Hey at least you want a next time," Nod joked.

"Why are we down here?" she asked.

"There."

Gently, he turned her head so she saw the young buck coming toward them. MK caught her breath as it came right up to them. Like Hiccup, she extended one hand, and let the dear come to her.

"Put your arms around me," Nod whispered.

He was half-perched on the deer's antlers, and had reached one hand down to help her up.

"But I barely know you," MK teased.

Nod shrugged. "Do you want to ride him or not?"

Grinning, MK reached up one arm and swung herself up. Somehow, she forced her arm not to linger around his shoulders. The world looked different from this angle; tiny but at the same level as a human. Now that the sun was setting, a golden haze filtered through the forest. It was beautiful.

"You should be honored," Nod said quietly. "It takes a special kind of person to ride a deer."

"How did you learn?"

"My dad taught me. Before he died, of course." He fell silent.

"My dad died two years ago," MK said.

"Really? Well, at least you knew him. Mine was a Leafman soldier and died on a mission. I was only a boy, so Ronin took me in and raised me."

"I didn't really know my dad either," MK said. "He was always busy with king stuff…"

Quickly she shut her mouth, fearing she had gone too far.

"King?" Nod exclaimed. "Wait a minute, are you a princess?" MK winced, confirming his guess. "Where are you from?"

MK looked away. "A long way from here."

"Why do I feel like you're avoiding the question?"

She sighed. "Because it's a long and complicated story, and I'm not sure in the middle of all this is the best time."

"Can you give me the short uncomplicated version?" Nod asked, winking.

MK thought for a moment. "I'm originally from a kingdom called Corona. Yes, I was a princess, but I hated it. There were too many rules, too many people watching all the time..."

"You're a run-away!" Nod realized.

"Technically, yes," MK agreed. "Originally I was going on an adventure with my friends, but then we got separated, and then Tara's magic brought me here. And now I'm stuck. I don't know how to get back, or even where Corona is from here."

"So, what are you going to do?"

"Well, I'm sort of bound to the Pod now. I'll make sure it's safe first. And then...we'll just see what happens."

"Hmm. That doesn't sound like a very complicated story to me."

MK laughed. _Yeah, I left out the part that Corona is hundreds of years in the past, and that our family has magic powers and immortality, and that I'm big._ "That's not even the half of it."

Nod looked at her teasingly; he didn't believe her now, and he definitely wouldn't believe her when she told him the truth.

"I've never been outside this kingdom before. Does it look the same?"

"No. It's very different. We do have forests, but the main city is on an island."

"It sounds nice."

"It's the most beautiful place on the planet," MK said dreamily. She noticed how stunning he looked with the sun shining on his perfect unruly hair that looked a little bit like Hiccup's.

"I thought you didn't like it," he grinned.

"I may not have liked being the princess, but it was home. The scenery was amazing. This is a pretty nice looking place, though."

Nod laughed. "Wait until you see Moonhaven. So, does your family have magic powers? I mean, I don't know if it's only our queen, or just Tara, or if it was a royal thing...?"

"Well," MK began. She stopped and thought for a minute, watching the green fireflies blink their way through the forest. "This is where it starts to get complicated."

"Any magic is complicated."

"Most royals don't have magic," MK said. "But, coincidentally, mine does. And that might be part of the explanation as to how Tara brought me here."

"So can you do anything? Can you make me fly?"

"No," she said, laughing. "Jack could take you for a spin but I can't. My immediate family doesn't have any powers. But my mom's sister married a king that did have magic. So my cousin Rapunzel and her daughters have some really cool powers."

"Okay," Nod said simply. He seemed to be taking it pretty well. "So, who is this 'Jack' guy you mentioned earlier?"

 _Is that jealously?_ MK wondered. "That's Rapunzel's husband. He's got magic powers, too."

"So his name's Jack, he can fly, and he has magic?" MK nodded. "Interesting. I gotta tell Nim about this. He can add it to the Jack Scroll."

"The Jack Scroll?" MK asked.

"Yeah. You know, the god Jack Frost. I guess he only comes here," he added, noting her puzzled expression. "He causes the winter."

"No, but that _is_ my Jack," MK insisted.

Nod shook his head. "Can't be. This Jack is huge; if he stood on the ground then he would be taller then this deer and he carries tree branch easily in one hand. His hair is white and he can make snow out of his bare hands. I saw him once when I was younger. Right after he passed I met this girl named Peri, who could do similar things, but she was my size. I didn't see her again, though. Your Jack obviously has the Frost blessing." He thought for a second as MK stared at him in shock. "Does he have wings?"

Before she could decide how to respond, the deer suddenly raised its head and looked back at Nim's tree. They were now several yards away, and it would take a few minutes to walk back. MK wondered what had happened that disturbed the deer when she saw the crowd streaming from the tree screaming. Panic shot through her.

"The Pod!"

"Jump!" Nod yelled.

Looking down, MK saw that he had already abandoned the startled buck and was waiting on the ground with outstretched arms. As the deer bolted, MK lost her balance and fell straight into Nod's arms. Quickly, he shoved her under a tree root to avoid the pounding hooves. Her heart was pounding so hard that she couldn't hear anything, and her legs shook as they ran. Screaming, creatures poured from the tree in mass panic. A young marigold flower fell from a high branch and landed in front of them.

"Are you ok?" MK asked, stopping.

"I'm fine," the girl said shakily. She looked around distractedly. "Mom?" she called.

"What's going on up there?" Nod asked.

"It's Mandrake! He came for the Pod!"

Immediately, Nod began to scale the tree. MK put an arm around the young girl.

"What's your name?" she asked calmingly.

"Marigold."

 _That's appropriate_ , she thought. "I have to go protect the Pod. If I see your mother, I'll tell her where you went, ok?" Marigold nodded. "Stay safe."

She climbed the tree easily and reached the entrance in a moment. The cavern was nearly empty, only a few startled butterflies flapped around picking up scraps of paper and trash left behind. In the middle, a large mound of dirt surrounded a deep tunnel. Nod was peering down the hole anxiously, but when he saw MK, he ran back over to her.

"It's gone," he said breathlessly. "Mandrake took the Pod. We're too late."

MK shook her head in disbelief. What have we done? Her eyes widened as Ronin jumped from the tunnel and stormed over to them, glaring daggers. He slammed Nod against the wall and put a tight grip on his shirt.

"I told you to stay with the Pod!"

"You said to keep it safe," Nod gasped. "I thought it was!"

"That was the last we had of Tara! You were supposed to stay with it at all times!"

"No, he wasn't," MK said. She stepped between them and forcibly lowered Ronin's arm. "The Pod was _my_ responsibility. It's my fault that it's gone, and I'm sorry. But right now we need to figure out how to get it back."

She spotted a fruit-fly cowering under a leaf a few feet away and ran over to it. At first, it seemed to be a young boy, but then it visibly aged into a teenager. MK shrugged it off and got right to the point.

"Hey, did you see what happened in here?"

"I don't know man," he drawled. "Why are you putting so much pressure on me?"

"Excuse me," MK said, standing at her full height and glaring at him. "Respect your elders and answer the question."

The fly jumped and aged again, this time into a young man. "Yes, ma'am," he said energetically. "I'm so sorry about that, it was a bad phase. That whole Mandrake incident when I was a kid has messed me up for life."

"Mandrake was here?" she asked. "Did he take the Pod?"

"My memory's starting to fail me," he said, now middle-aged. "He was holding some sort of flower, and then there were these two white blob-y fellows. They might have been slugs. Or snails. Is it just me, or is it hot in here?"

"Do you have any idea where he was going to take them?"

Once again, the fly glitched forward in time, aging into an old man. One of his legs fell off, and without missing a beat, he picked it up and used it as a cane. "Wrathwood, of course," he wheezed. "His headquarters. Black, rotting forest, about ten miles south of here. Or was it north-east? Anyway, you can't miss it."

"Great, thank you so much," MK said, speaking quickly. By this time she had caught on that the fly had a very short lifespan. "You've helped the survival of this forest."

The ancient fly grinned. "My life was worthwhile!" he cheered, hardly more than a whisper.

He then gasped once and fell over dead. MK stared at the corpse in shock, a little disturbed at what she had just witnessed. Behind her, Nod and Ronin's continued argument brought her back to reality. She marched over to them.

"Will you two stop bickering?" she demanded, interrupting them. "While you were busy acting like children, I got information. Mandrake took the Pod, Mub, and Grub to Wrathwood. Does anyone know where that is?"

"Sure, it's about a twenty minutes fly due west," Ronin said, firmly ignoring Nod. "And while we're talking directions, Moonhaven is in the opposite direction. You and him," he gestured at Nod, "go and prepare the troops for battle."

"Not a chance," MK said, crossing her arms and glaring at the Leafman. "I'm going after my Pod."

"That's suicide!" Nod exclaimed, pushing his way back into the conversation. "We need to bring the army to Wrathwood!"

"And leave Moonhaven undefended?" Ronin scoffed. "Mandrake will be looking for the army. But I can sneak in there completely unnoticed."

"For all this talk about teamwork, you sure do like to work alone!" Nod exploded. "I'm just trying to help!"

"Yeah, this is definitely a three man job," MK said.

"Preferably, yes. There will be hundreds of filthy, black boggans waiting to attack anyone who doesn't look like them. I can't take you, and I'm definitely not going with him."

"Oh, I see what this is!" Now it was her turn to be angry. "You won't take me because I'm a girl! I may just be a princess, but don't think for a second that I'm just some fragile porcelain doll! I've ridden dragons, unicorns, horses, birds, and now deer. I've climbed mountains, swam across fjords, and flown across countries with Jack Frost. Because I'm heir to my throne, I've survived assassination attempts. I can shoot a bow and arrow, throw knives, and fight the best swordsmen in the country. I'm the kind of princess who sneaks out of her castle and lives as a peasant for days on end and no one recognizes me! I have had a very long, confusing, emotional last few weeks, culminating in this hell of a weird day and look at me! I'm not losing it. I can keep my cool. I am not freaking out when any other normal person would be. If anything, I am the best person for this mission!" She paused to catch her breath and had a sudden realization. _**That's** why Tara chose me._ "Now I am going to rescue my Pod before any more time is lost. Are you guys coming or not?"

There was a profound moment of silence. Dimly, MK was aware of Nim Galuu watching expectantly in the shadows and of Nod staring at her admiringly, but she focused her attention on Ronin. There was something different in his eyes, something she couldn't quite place.

"You sound like Tara," he finally managed, smiling a little.

MK smiled back. "I'll take that as a yes," she said. She hurried over to his hummingbird and jumped on.

"Hey, what about my bird?" Nod asked. "Don't you want to ride with me?"

MK smirked as Ronin mounted behind her. "This one's prettier," she said, stroking it's emerald head.

Without waiting to see Nod's response, she took off into the sky and circled the tree.

"So," Ronin began. "Do you have a plan?"

"Of course," MK said. Her eyes scanned the treetops frantically.

"Wrathwood is that way, new girl," Nod said, pointing.

"I know my directions," MK said. "Which is why we're going that way first."

"But that's nowhere close to where we want to be."

"If we're going to infiltrate a secret military base, then we're going to need disguises. Luckily, I know exactly where to find some."

She pointed south west, where the top of a tall, dark house could be seen peering over the trees.

"I can see why Tara chose you," Ronin said. MK could feel the smile in his voice.


	9. Chapter 9: Chaos in the Lab

MK slipped through the window, which fortunately had been left open. The study was completely silent, and looked exactly as she had left it that morning. She gestured for Ronin and Nod to follow her.

"Whoa," Nod gasped. "What is this place?"

"I don't really know," MK lied. "I've only been here once, and I think I saw some boggan armor somewhere around here."

Ronin did a running leap and landed on the table in the middle of the room and started looking around. On the desk below the sill, there was a jar covered by a cloth. Nod jumped from the window sill, bounced off the jar, and slid down a cord to the floor.

"Come on!" he whispered to a hesitant MK.

Drawing a deep breath, MK ran and jumped. She missed the jar, landing instead on a group of pencils, which rolled and tumbled off the desk. She let out a short scream as she slid under the table and into a pile of dust. Sneezing, she vowed to come and dust every inch of the house as soon as she was big again.

"Don't say a word," she said sternly as she struggled to her feet.

"Careful!" Nod warned as she leaned towards the metal stool nearby.

A huge shock ran through her entire body and sent her flying backwards a few feet, knocking the breath out of her. She saw her reflection in the stool and realized her bangs were standing straight up.

"Nice," Nod said, helping her up. Blue electric light flickered between them. "Ow!" He shook his hand.

"Shut up," she said, shoving him lightly.

"Ow!" He shoved her back.

"Stop it!" MK said, pushing with both hands.

Nod grinned and poked her.

"Will you two quit fooling around and come up here?" Ronin called from above.

Reluctantly, they stopped shoving each other and jumped to the cushion of the stool, and from there to the table. Just then, Professor Bomba lumbered into the room. He walked as slow as the deer, if not slower, and he looked extremely worried.

"Oh," Ronin said. "So this is where that guy lives."

"Man, I love this guy!"

"Who?" MK asked. "I mean, who is he?"

"He's a Stomper," Nod said, staring at him in awe.

"Stomper?"

"Yeah, you know. The big people who come crashing through the forest. Most Stompers come and go, but this guy is crazy! He's obsessed with trying to find Moonhaven."

MK turned and started looking for the boggan armor. She knew it was somewhere, but the room looked so different when she was small.

"Hey, that's my saddle!" Nod said.

"He's found a lot," MK said pointedly. "He's probably spent most of his life collecting this."

"Yeah, but only what we want him to find," Ronin said.

"What do you mean?"

Ronin led her over to the map of the forest laid out on the table. "We've known about him for years. He think's he's close, see?" There was a cluster of pins and tacks clumped together. "We drop hints and clues, just enough to keep him busy and excited over here, when we're really safely tucked away here." He pointed to where Moonhaven was on the map. "He's looking everywhere but where we are."

"That seems cruel," MK said. With every second it was harder for her to keep up the pretense.

"But can you imagine him stomping around Moonhaven with his big feet?" Nod said. "He's dangerous, even if he is slow and stupid."

"Stupid?"

"Have you heard him talk?" Nod asked.

"So…slow…" Ronin said in a slow, deep voice.

"Oh, look at me," Nod joined in mockingly. "I'm big and slow and my feet stink!"

"That's not nice!" MK said.

"Oww," Ronin said.

"I hurt my elbow!" both of them said.

"Shut up, he's my dad!" MK snapped.

Both of them looked at her in surprise.

"You're kidding," Ronin said.

"No, not really," MK said. "My own dad died. And I'm really from the 18th century and was brought forward in time and now I'm trapped here, and he is the only person who has been nice to me. He took me in and cared for me and became like my dad. And then this morning Tara shrunk me and now I'm stuck at this size! _I'm a Stomper_!"

"You're not kidding," Ronin decided.

"Seriously?" Nod asked, looking back and forth between the two of them.

"It's been a weird day for all of us," Ronin sighed wearily.

"What do you have against Stompers?" MK asked Nod angrily.

Nod lowered his head and spoke quietly. "My uncle was stepped on by a Stomper."

"Oh my goodness, really?" MK said, all her anger gone.

"No, I'm just kidding."

MK shoved him, all the anger returned tenfold, and marched off.

"Too far?" Nod asked.

"Try again," Ronin said. "Maybe she'll shove you harder."

MK ignored them and followed Bomba as he went to the computers. Tears in her eyes, she jumped down and ran to his feet. In the thick silence of the room she could hear him whisper,

"Where…are…you…MK?"

"I'm right here!" MK screamed. "Don't give up, I'm right here! You're so close!"

"Dad…!" Penny's voice cut across the room. Bomba swiveled around to see her. "What…are…you…doing…here?"

"I'm…looking…"

"You're…still…looking…for…those…imaginary…creatures? You're…insane!"

"No…for…MK…She's…gone."

"What…about…me? I'm…sick…I…need…you! I've…been…calling…you! You…care…more…for…her…than…me! You…don't…love…me…at…all!"

"No, Penny!" MK yelled from the floor. "You didn't see him at the fire!"

"No," Bomba promised, holding his hands up almost in surrender. "That's…not…true!"

But Penny didn't listen. She stomped off and Bomba started to follow her. Ozzie and Bolt met Penny at the door, looking at her anxiously. Then Bolt's ears pricked up as he saw MK.

Who's that? he barked. Somehow, MK understood every word he said.

MK! Ozzie said cheerfully.

Intruder! Intruder! Bolt called. He bounded toward her, teeth bared. He was moving slowly, but MK screamed and ran.

No, she's a friend! Ozzie called, following him. But Bolt didn't listen.

Mittens! Wake up! Intruder!

A black and white cat asleep on another chair fell off, startled. She hissed uncertainly, and then scampered out of the way as Bolt nearly knocked her over again. Bomba turned from Penny and started chasing the animals; in the process he caught sight of MK.

"Penny…come…here…I've…found…them! They're…here!"

"MK, up here! Jump!" Nod said.

MK jumped up onto a table, but Mittens followed her, knocking over all manners of bottles and specimens. By this time, Bomba had grabbed a jar attached to a vacuum hose and was also chasing them. Ronin jumped and made it to the windowsill, throwing down the blind cords to Nod. MK grabbed Nod's free hand and they started flying upwards. Ozzie jumped, but because he only had three legs didn't get enough height and missed. His short tongue barely touched them. Bolt was not far behind, though, and he was going for the kill. Bomba's foot came out of nowhere and kicked him aside, and a vacuum hose started pulling them downward.

"Don't let go!" Nod screamed as MK began to slip.

"I can't!" she yelled.

Her hand slipped through his and she fell into the tube. Her body went swirling and bashing against the tube before she finally landed in the glass, dizzy and out of breath. Bomba switched off the tube and reached for his special glasses. A few seconds later, he was staring right at MK. She banged her fists against the jar and looked at him pleadingly.

"MK…?"

The glass went flying up into the air and came down on the table with a crash. Bomba had fainted. Shakily, MK got to her feet and walked over to where his head lay on the map.

"Come on, MK!" Nod called. "Before the other one gets back!"

MK stood for a few seconds, looking at the map. In the center of the cluster of pins, there was a single, only one was red. Carefully, she relocated it to Moonhaven's actual location. She knew it might be dangerous, but what if they needed help with the boggans? And she needed to convince him that he really _had_ seen her in the glass. Then she walked over to his sleeping form and gently kissed him on the forehead.

"I'll come back soon, I promise."


	10. Chapter 10: Inside the Hive

**Author's Note: apologies for the long break! I graduated. And ran a half marathon. And had a birthday. But this summer I'm not doing very many camps or anything, so I'll have time to write! Hopefully.**

* * *

"This is so…"

"Awesome, right?"

"No," MK said, glaring at Nod. "It's weird and a little bit creepy."

She finished fastening the leg armor and reached for the helmet: a dirty white cage made with a substance she couldn't identify. It looked a little like a bird's head. As soon as she put it on, she immediately regretted it.

"Ew, ew, ew! It smells like something died in here!" she gagged.

"Something probably did," Ronin said slowly.

"Is this bone?" she shrieked.

"Yep," Nod said, cutting straight to the point.

"Are you alright?" Ronin asked.

MK gulped and stood up straight. "Yes."

Ronin led them out from behind the rock where they had been hiding. They were surrounded by sparse, brown grass, which grew thinner with every step they took. Then it died away completely, revealing a massive, rotten tree stump swarming with boggans. MK gulped.

"Aside from the disguises, do we actually have a plan?"

"Get inside, find the Pod, get out," Ronin said. "If we get separated, meet at Moonhaven."

"More specifically?"

"Act natural, rough. Like you belong here," Nod said, playfully nudging her to get her into the mood.

"Great, that really helps," MK said sarcastically. "But that place is huge. How will be able to find our way around?"

"I've been here once before," Ronin said. He looked sideways at Nod. "With your father."

"What?" Nod was surprised. "He never told me that."

"He never got the chance," Ronin said quietly, sliding down the embankment.

Nod and MK followed him, making sure to stay close. Inside the hive was every bit as crowded as the outside, perhaps even more so. Every tunnel, hall, and jagged overlook teemed with the filthy, ugly creatures.

"How are we going to find the Pod, exactly?" MK whispered to Ronin.

"Follow the slime," Ronin said, nodding slightly.

On the level below them, there was one strangely empty tunnel leading away from the main trunk of the fortress. Only a few bogans dared to carefully inch their way across the slimy branch, and all of them fell.

"It'll be impossible to get down there unnoticed," Nod breathed.

"Right," Ronin said, louder now. He began unstrapping his armor. "I'll cause a diversion. Go!"

Without waiting for their reply, Ronin jumped to a higher level of the fortress in full Leafmen gear.

"Look, it's a Leafmen!" he shouted. The bogans looked around frantically. Ronin rolled his eyes and whistled.

"Up here, you bozos!"

With a terrifying cry, the bogans streamed towards him. Ronin just grinned. MK had to tear Nod away from the action and down the slippery trail. Once inside the tunnel, the path widened and they could walk around the slime. There were no more bogans to be seen, which MK found a little strange. If there were bogans down here, then they would be running to fight Ronin. But she didn't see any in either direction. She was about to mention this to Nod when she suddenly understood the reason.

 _Bats._

The trail must have gradually led them to an underground cave, because at least two dozen were roosting in this room, and more caverns shot off to the side. There were hundreds of them. Up close, they were three times as big as MK, and could easily eat her for a midnight snack. She was so frightened she opened her mouth for an involuntary scream. Nod quickly clamped a hand over her mouth. She shuddered and closed her eyes.

Mary Katherine hated bats. She downright detested them. Desperately, she tried to crowd out the memories of when she visited Arendelle. Uncle Robert had shown her the unicorn sanctuary, which was then being expanded. It was all going well until the excavators accidentally opened a wall into a bat cave. Thousands came flying out in anger, startling the workers, the unicorns, and permanently scaring six-year-old Mary Katherine.

"Hey," Nod whispered. "They're sleeping, it'll be fine."

MK opened her eyes, but the bats were still there. And this time she would be eaten if they were disturbed. She realized she was hyperventilating and not getting enough air. Nod knew this, too. He took off their helmets and laid them on the ground.

"Keep your eyes fixed on me," he said. "The less sound you make with your breathing, the better our chances of them not waking up."

He turned MK around and made her walk backwards out of the cave. At first it was easy to watch him, but then more bats appeared in her peripheral vision and she started panicking again.

"Don't look at them," Nod said. "Look at me instead. Listen. They won't eat you. They only eat berries and bugs."

"I am a bug!" MK said horsely.

Nod let go of her and crossed his arms. "That's offends me."

MK leaned forward and grabbed his arms again. "Don't let go!" she hissed. "I'm sorry, ok? I'm under a lot of stress just-get-me-out-of-here!"

He steered her towards the exit, which was too small for a bat. Immediately, MK collapsed on the ground, breathing hard and trying not to throw up. Nod placed a reassuring hand on her back.

"Are you ok?"

"I swear, as soon as I get big again I'm coming to this place and burning it to the ground," she exploded. "Not a single bat or bogan is going to escape me!"

Nod smiled at her fondly.

"MK, is that you?" a familiar voice called out in the darkness. Two slug eyes peered out hopefully from under a piece of bark.

"Mub!" MK got to her feet and ran over. She lifted the bark, revealing a Mub, Grub, and the Pod.

"I told you she'd come for me," Mub said slyly to his friend as Nod reached down and grabbed his eyestalks. "Ooh, yeah. That's what I'm talking about…" he paused, seeing MK and her free hands. "Wow. You need to work on your grip, my friend. It's very womanly."

Nod ignored him and heaved him out.

"Do you have the Pod?" MK asked.

"Here!" Grub said, handing it up.

Instantly, the Pod wrapped it's tendrils around her. She hugged it; for some reason, it felt like the right thing to do.

"Missed you, too," she whispered so the others wouldn't hear.

"We have to get the Pod to Moonhaven," Grub said urgently.

"That's the plan," Nod said.

"Is there another way out?" MK asked. "I _really_ don't want to go through the bat cave again."

"Follow me, baby, I'll take care of you," Mub said, sidling up beside her and gently pushing her towards another tunnel.

"No, you don't understand!" Grub said. "Mandrake wants the Pod to bloom in darkness. If it doesn't bloom in full moonlight, then it will become a bogan. And a bogan will become the ruler of the forest!"

Nod and MK looked at him in alarm, then broke out into a run. It was nearly midnight. Mub and Grub tried their best to keep up, but were falling behind.

"Wait up!" Grub called breathlessly.

"Oi, what's that?"

The shadows of two bogan guards appeared on the wall ahead.

"Hide in your shells!" Grub said, disappearing. His eyes poked out and stared at the other three. "Oh, right."

Mub gestured to the roof with his eyes and began slithering up the walls. Grub followed suit.

"Grab on," Mub whispered.

Nod jumped and grabbed his eyestalks. MK finally caught on and did the same to Grub. Silently, they glided over the heads of the unsuspecting guards, who were outraged when they discovered that the jail was empty.

"Go faster," Nod whispered.

"It's kind of hard when you're pulling on my brain!" Mub grunted, sounding louder than he meant to.

"Over here!" the guards called, coming in at a run.

"Oh, no," MK said.

The mosquito guard flew up into the air, and the other, unidentifiable creature grabbed its legs. It was the only way they could reach the escapees, but it was nearly impossible to catch up.

Nearly.

Up ahead, the tunnel lightened and broadened into the main cavity of the trunk. MK could see Ronin facing Mandrake, sword ready but not fighting.

"Is this the best the Leafmen could send?" Mandrake roared with laughter. "A single, solitary, old warrior?"

"One tree, many leaves," Ronin said, breathing heavily.

Mandrake snarled. "What does that mean?"

"It means I'm not alone."

 _Ronin!_ MK screamed silently.

It didn't take long before Mandrake spotted them…and laughed. "Get them," he said almost lazily to the bogans.

"Run for it!" Nod yelled.

He dropped to the ground and caught Mub, dragging him along behind. MK didn't remember much of what happened next. It was all a blur of grey faces, running, ducking, kicking, and screaming the whole nine yards. Somehow, with Ronin and Nod's help, they made it to the top of the tree; the rim was only a short jump away. But there were too many bogans pressed around them, only Mub and Grub managed to slip away and get to the top. Unfortunately, MK and Nod were trapped. They looked to Ronin. He gritted his teeth.

"Go. Get the Pod to Moonhaven. I'll try to hold them off."

"But, Ronin!" Nod exclaimed.

"No buts! I don't matter, the forest does! I got nothing left to live for anyway." Nod hesitated. "Go! Get out of here!"

He squatted low and swung his sword with such ferocity that all the bogans backed away. MK took the opening. She grabbed Nod's arm and jumped, pulling him away. The gap closed once more, every creature focused on taking down Ronin, who disappeared beneath the mob.

"RONIN!" Nod screamed.

MK held onto him tightly, whistling for the birds. The sparrow came instantly, and the four of them crowded on. But the hummingbird refused to budge and stared at the tree, confused and alone. The sparrow labored on through the darkness, struggling under the weight. MK, still tense and alert from the fight, started when the Leafmen came up on either side of them. Two of them lifted Mub and Grub so they could fly faster. A female soldier offered her hand to MK, but she shook her head gently. She could tell that Nod needed her.

"Ronin?" the red-haired soldier MK had seen earlier asked.

She looked behind, but there was still no sign of the hummingbird and it's rider. Nod lowered his head, trying to hide the tears.

"He bought us some time," she said gently. She wrapped one arm around Nod's waist and leaned against him.

He nodded sadly, but kept flying.

"Captain Finn, don't you think we should turn around?" a soldier asked. "Maybe send a small rescue party?"

"Ronin knew what he was doing," Finn replied wearily. "Our main priority right now is the Pod. I need every able-bodied soldier protecting it."

"Yes, sir," the soldiers responded in unison.

"Er, Captain Finn, sir?" Grub said shyly. "First of all, hi. Big fan, so I'm sort of geeking out here. Sorry. What I'm trying to say is, I was captured by Mandrake and overheard his plans…"

Suddenly, Finn became extremely interested in the snail, turning sharply towards him. "What's that?"

"If the Pod blooms in darkness, then the successor will be a…dark prince is what he called it. It will belong to Mandrake. He's not trying to stop the Pod from blooming. Just from blooming in the moonlight."

Finn glanced at the moon, which was even now inching position. "Leyla," he ordered. "Fly ahead and station a dozen warriors at Moonhaven's peak. You must protect it at all costs. Mandrake may try to block the light from entering."

"Yes, sir," the female who had offered a ride to MK said.

She flew off, drawing MK's attention to the sprawling, night time city below. Soft glowing algae illuminated a gently flowing stream, and the moon showed the shy, timid creatures that peered from their woodland homes. These were not the rambunctious lot at Nim Galuu's tree. They were frightened, not knowing when or where the bogans would attack them. Several had small, crying children.

But every single one, as soon as they spotted MK with the Pod, brightened and cheered. Even from that height, she could see the hope and sheer relief in their eyes. All of MK's nervousness melted away, replaced by a firm desire. It was no longer a step towards growing big or even getting back to Corona.

From then on, she determined to do everything in her power to save the forest.


	11. Chapter 11: The Pod Blooms

Captain Finn led MK to the heart of the palace, a stone courtyard with only a coin-sized opening letting in light. In the center lay a basin filled with pure, clear water. The pale circle of moonlight crawled slowly across the floor toward it. Grub quickly took the Pod from MK and set it in the water, gently dripping some more water across the top, where it was beginning to dry.

Leafmen sentries took their places at the arches and doorways around the room. Two more leafmen circled above on their hummingbirds. There wasn't much left for MK to do. She went and sat down next to Nod, who was staring listlessly at the floor.

"Hey," she said quietly. "I'm sorry about Ronin. He was like a father to you. I know it feels to lose a father, even if you didn't always get along."

"Yeah," Nod sighed. "I'll get over it. So, what about you? What's next?"

MK looked at the Pod. The Moon was moving closer to position. "Tara said to stay with the Pod until it bloomed, then I'll get back what I've given, or something like that. I guess I'll get big again."

"Oh. So, I guess this is goodbye, then?"

"Oh." She hadn't thought about it like that. "Yeah, I guess it is."

For a few moments they sat in silence, both trying to take it in. Nod opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a loud cacophony of screeching and screaming. Darkness flooded through Moonhaven. Looking up, MK saw that the Moon had been covered with bats, more than she could count. Even more than she had seen in Wrathwood.

Chaos erupted. Citizens came running to the sanctuary, soldiers ran without orders. MK followed Nod to the armory, where he quickly grabbed a spare suit of armor.

"What are you doing?"

"Going to fight!"

"But you can't! No offense, but that sparrow is old and she isn't trained for combat like the hummingbirds."

"I don't have a choice! We need every spare bird we can find up there!"

"Fine. Then I'm coming too."

"No, MK. You've never even fought a lone boggan before. I'm not letting you go against that swarm."

"Just because I'm a princess doesn't mean I can't fight! I'm trained against assassination attempts."

"This is different," Nod said, checking his sword. He didn't look at her. "Stay here. Fight against the stray boggans that make it through our defenses. Be with the Pod when it blooms and go home."

"But I want to fight with you!"

"If you go up there, you'll die."

"You'll die!" His eyes flicked back to her for the first time. He didn't answer. "Nod," she said, her voice wavering. "Promise me you'll come back."

Quickly, Nod kissed her on the cheek and mounted the sparrow. He flew off, but not before MK saw the tears in his eyes. She stomped her foot and picked up a sword defiantly. It was heavier than she expected, despite having super strength, and she had to drag it back to the courtyard. Nim Galuu and Mub stood watch by the Pod.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" Mub called.

"I'm going to fight!" MK yelled through gritted teeth.

Nim came over to her and took the sword away. "I'm not doubting that you can fight," he said. "But maybe there's another reason for you being here. Tara didn't just pull in some extra soldier. She had something special in mind."

"I hadn't thought about it that way," MK confessed. "But I want to do something!"

"Well then, if I were you, I'd figure it out before it's too late."

MK began pacing in front of the Pod. It was turning black and rotten, smoking at the edges. Then, for just a second, the Leafmen managed to make a dent in the bat swarm, and a tiny beam of moonlight hit the Pod and turned that one spot green again. Then it disappeared. MK stopped and stared.

She suddenly remembered the story of her cousin Rapunzel, and the night she died and became a Guardian. The Moon had saved her, Jack had told her, but only after he had broken the stained glass window and allowed the pure moonlight to come streaming in.

"Ok, so I know how the Moon works, sort of," she said, thinking aloud. "But I already know we have to make a clear path. What am I missing?"

A dead bat fell from the sky and thumped down the wall. She squealed and flinched.

"Ugh, I hate bats!" she complained.

"You think that's why Tara chose you?" Mub asked, confused.

"No, I was just complaining…wait! Maybe it is! Maybe that gives me the motivation…no, that can't be it. Or at least, not all of it."

She sat down and kept thinking. But the bat thought would not leave her head. She remembered on one of her first days when Professor Bomba was showing her around his lab. He had slowed down a recording of bat sounds for her so they could hear the voices of the then presumed Leafmen.

 _Bomba_.

"That's it!" she yelled, jumping up. "I know what I have to do!"

Without another thought, she ran and took the hummingbird that Grub had been unsuccessfully trying to mount.

"Sorry, Grub!" she called back. She steered the hummingbird in the direction of the house, keeping an eye out for cameras.

* * *

Professor Bomba woke up groggily. The lab was in an absolute mess; even for him it was disorderly. Slowly, he started picking things up off the floor. Ozzie sat under the swivel chair, panting contentedly. Hearing Penny walking around upstairs, Bomba realized how he had abandoned her.

 _I can't believe I really thought I saw MK…_

With a sudden determination, he began packing away all the lab equipment and evidence he had collected for the leafmen. Everything went into boxes to be thrown away or sold. He was done.

* * *

MK saw a camera blinking to her left and steered toward it. She lighted on the branch for a moment, waving desperately.

"Hello! Can you see me? If you can hear me move the camera!"

Nothing. Time was precious, so she kept flying. A few minutes later she saw another one. This time she didn't even land.

"Come on, dad! You have to come out here! Look at the red pin! Hurry!"

* * *

The sensors were going wild, but he had lost all of his enthusiasm. Penny poked her head in cautiously.

"You're back," she said.

"I never left."

"Oh. It was so quiet I just thought…"

"I sort of…fainted," Bomba admitted. He straightened and looked at her, his back to the monitors. "I thought…if I could prove they were real, then maybe she would come back. Maybe she would bring you back. Each time they slipped by grasp…or at least, I thought they did, I grew more obsessed. I lost sight of what was really important. But I'm done now. I promise."

Penny looked at the floor as Mittens came in and rubbed against her legs. The monitors kept beeping.

"Blast those stupid sensors!" he exploded, turning to the computer. He pulled the plug.

"Wait!" Penny gasped. "Turn it back on, I saw MK!"

Bomba quickly did so, but the screens only showed the forest.

"Are you sure?" he asked intensely.

"Yes! On that one!" She pointed to the computer.

"That's where all the activity is happening," Bomba said. "So that explains the beeping. But these aren't the readings that humans give off…was she moving in slow motion or normally? Did she fill up the screen?"

"She was moving normally. It looked like she had grabbed the lens and was shaking it." She paused and thought about this for a second. "How big is that camera?"

Bomba spread his thumb and forefinger four inches apart. Penny stared at him in disbelief.

"Those cameras turn everything humans do into slow motion. You can see every beat of a hummingbird or bumblebee's wings in normal time. If she was moving normally, then she had to have been small. You don't have to believe me, but I have to go out and find her. She could be in trouble."

"She looked scared," Penny said.

Bomba quickly turned to the computer and tried to look at the recordings. "I lost all my data, I can't track her pattern!"

He spun around and ran his hands through his hair. Suddenly, he saw the map, and the red pin that was stuck away from the cluster. He jabbed down a finger on top of it.

"There! Did you move this pin?" Penny shook her head. "Then I wasn't dreaming before. MK really was here, and she really is tiny!"

"Here!" Penny cried, tossing him a helmet. "These slow down video feed, too, right?"

"Yes! Are you coming?" he asked as she strapped on a helmet.

"Well…maybe you _are_ right."

* * *

MK ducked into an empty swallow's nest and slowed her breathing. The boggan that had chased her away from the camera flew right by them, then hovered in mid-air for a long time. Through a minuscule gap in the nest, she could see the bat circling around looking for her. She could hear the high pitched echolocation. Quietly, she pulled the hummingbird wing over her body like a blanket. Then the bat moved on. She waited a few minutes more to make sure he was really gone, but she hated sitting still. Despite her best efforts, she could not stop thinking about Nod fighting that huge swarm. She had to hurry. Finally, she remounted and flew off again.

Up ahead, she could hear a loud motor, like the sounds she had heard in the city. Instinct told her to fly toward it. To her surprise, it was Bomba and Penny on an old motorcycle. They were both wearing the weird helmets, and she knew they would be able to see her. She darted across their path, and the motorcycle screeched to a halt.

"M…K?" Bomba called, his voice slow and deep. He held out one hand and she landed the hummingbird.

"We…thought…you…were…dead…" Penny said over his shoulder.

"Can you hear me through the helmets?" MK asked.

"Yes!" they both replied.

"Walk on foot, follow me!"

It took an annoyingly long time before they were able to get off, even though they were clearly trying to hurry. On the way, MK explained everything: how she had been shrunk, about the Pod, and what the boggans were doing now. She warned them to watch their step the closer they got to Moonhaven, and explained her plan.

Unfortunately, Bomba and Penny were too starstruck to do anything at first. There seemed to be more bats now than there had before, and even less Leafmen. Agitated, she jumped off her hummingbird and into his pocket, where she could see the iPod. A moment later, a huge hand lifted her out. Bomba slowly unlocked it, and from there, MK navigated through the music, looking desperately for the bat sounds. Finally, she found it, turned the volume all the way up, and pressed play. The sound was so loud she automatically jumped to the ground and covered her ears. She could hear Penny screaming and receding footsteps. It worked.

MK suddenly realized how far away she was from the actual city. The Moon shone down bright and clear, and it looked like it was in position. The bird had left, so she ran as fast and as hard as she could. Her eyes remained fixed on the pinnacle the whole time. Then she tripped, and when she looked up, a blinding white light shone out and spread over Moonhaven.

Instinctively, she knew it had bloomed. MK braced herself, but nothing happened. She had missed it


	12. Chapter 12: Back to Business

**Author's Note: So, I was notified that I had forgotten to post this chapter. Whoops. Thanks, crocgirl9219 for letting me know. This is the chapter that you might not understand what's happening unless you've read my other Companion books, specifically Companions Divided.**

* * *

She walked the rest of the way. There was no need to hurry, now. Inside, the citizens were talking excitedly. MK asked an old stick man what had happened.

"Little Marigold became the queen!" he said, teary-eyed.

Suddenly interested, MK looked toward the center of attention. Marigold, the little flower girl she had met at Nim's tree stood next to her mother. Her petals had turned white, and she seemed to be glowing.

"Wow," MK breathed. "So, how did she change?"

"Remember when Tara died?" Finn asked, startling her. "Those same light particles came out of the Pod and formed back into Tara…almost. She spoke a few words to Ronin but I couldn't hear."

"Ronin?!"

"Yeah, that old man made it out alive, alright. It's a miracle that he did, too."

"And then," the stick man interjected, "Tara kissed Marigold's forehead, and the light went into her! It was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. To think that I lived to see this day!"

He wandered off to continue celebrating. MK turned back to Finn.

"Is Nod…?"

"He's over there with Ronin," Finn said, pointing her in the right direction.

Nod and Ronin leaned against the well, breathing heavily. Both of them looked pretty banged up but happy to be alive.

"You look terrible," Nod told Ronin.

"Did you see how many hits I took? Learned that from you."

Nor laughed, mostly relieved. "You're not gonna make me say all the things I learned from you, now are you? We'd be here for awhile."

"Well," Ronin said, sighing. "You could have learned a heck of a lot more from your dad. I was a pretty poor substitute."

"Hey, don't beat yourself up any more than you already are. Lately you've shown some real promise."

"Oh, just say that you love each other," MK teased, crossing her arms and smiling down at them.

"I thought we just did," Ronin said, completely oblivious to Nod's adoring stare.

Nod got to his feet. "So, you're still here?"

"Yeah," she sighed. "I missed the Pod blooming. See, I was brought here to be the first link in the alliance between the Leafmen and Professor Bomba. You probably saw him a few minutes ago."

"He's pretty hard to miss," Nod laughed.

"Well, anyway, I was the only one who believed his theory about you guys was correct. I was able to lead him here and get him to distract the bats long enough for the Pod to bloom."

"They'll be back, though," Ronin said grimly.

"But now you have a Stomper on your side," MK said. "Trust me, he can get some tools and destroy Wrathwood within a week."

"But what about you?" Nod asked. "Are you supposed to stay until all the boggans are destroyed?"

"My mission was to protect the Pod and be with it when it opened. But I wasn't there, so I missed my chance. And not only to be my normal size again but to go back to my own time."

"I'm sorry…but not completely sorry," he added, holding out a hand. She took it gratefully, but felt a strong, immediate tug. "Whoa, strong grip."

"It's not me!" MK protested as she started floating off the ground.

"What?" Nod grabbed her other hand and held on.

Queen Marigold had her hands to her head, squinting in concentration.

"I wouldn't be so sure you missed your chance," Ronin said.

"A queen brought you here," Nim Galuu said. "How about a queen send you back?"

"It's working!" Marigold cried, excited.

"But I'm not ready! Marigold, please, wait!"

"It's not my decision," she said, pointing up. "It's His!"

"But…I have to say goodbye!"

"You're one of us now," Ronin called. "If you can't go back to your own time, we'll be here for you."

"Many leaves I always say," Grub said, sliding up to Ronin and wearing a Leafmen helmet. Then he looked ashamed and handed it back to him. "I mean, the Leafmen say. Not that I'm a Leafmen..."

He turned to go but Ronin replaced the helmet. "Says who?"

"We'll find each other!" Mub called to MK, obviously heartbroken. "Just follow the slime!"

"Ok," she said, unsure. The forces pulled at her harder.

"You're really leaving!" Nod cried.

"Put your arms around me!"

Nod hugged her and dug his heels into the ground. Still, MK could feel herself being torn away. Nothing could stop her, and she knew it. She pulled back so she could look him in the eyes one last time. Nod pulled her into a kiss, then let go.

MK felt herself floating away, slowly at first, but then all in a rush. Her whole body spun around violently, as if stuck in a whirlpool. It hurt worse than she remembered it, but still similar to traveling through the time portals. Finally, she hit something solid. Her hands felt the grim of dirt on a cold stone floor. She got to her feet and brushed it off. Then she noticed two royal figures staring at her in shock.

"Oh, hi, Aunt Rue," MK said. Unexpectedly, her heart sank as she realized what had happened. "I guess this means I'm in the right time now?"

"I think so," Rue said,

"What on earth are you wearing?" the other woman asked in a Scottish accent. MK figured she must be Merida's mother, Elinor.

"Well, I ended up in the 21st century and got stuck there for awhile…it's a long story, but my traveling dress was ruined. Professor Bomba was very nice, though, he bought me some modern clothes. They're quite comfortable actually."

"Mary Katherine, I'm very glad to see you, but you're not supposed to be time traveling, dear," Rue said gently.

"Well, technically neither are any of you guys," she said, crossing her arms. "I figured since everyone else was breaking the rules, why couldn't I?"

"That is never a good rule to follow," Elinor said rather sternly. "But in this case, we are glad you are here. We do need help."

"All of the Companions have disappeared," Rue said. "We landed in the middle of battle when we first arrived. I went to get help, but by the time I came back only the guards remained to guard Merida. At the moment, she's the only one we know the exact location to."

"That's not very helpful," MK said, worried. "What can I do to help?"

"How much experience do you have with bears?" the Scotswoman asked. "Or wild animals in general for that matter."

"Funny you should ask," she said, laughing. "I just spent a week living with an advanced society of tiny people living in the woods in the 21st Century. Nod taught me a few things…" She stopped.

"Nod?" Elinor asked, confused.

"My…friend."

"Oh dear," Rue said. "Well, time for that later. For now, let's go train a bear."

"Wait, what? I don't know much about training them…"

"I do," Merida's mother said. "I'm Elinor by the way, Merida's my daughter. She turned me into a bear, once."

"Oh," MK said, nodding. "Yeah, I heard that story. Through Jack and Rapunzel," she added, remembering Elinor didn't know Merida was immortal yet.

"Ah," Elinor said, obviously disappointed her story hadn't shocked her.

"Here, throw this on, dear," Rue said, handing her a royal blue cape. "Whatever happened to the Companions has made either Elsa or Jack upset. There's a blizzard raging outside."

"Won't the bears be hibernating?" MK asked, fastening the cloak.

"It's spring time for us," Elinor said. "They'll have just woke up from hibernation and won't know what hit them! Luckily, they'll be a little sleepy and docile."

"Unless they have cubs," MK pointed out.

"Oh." Elinor stopped, thinking. "We'll have to find a young female, then. One who doesn't have cubs. I think I remembering seeing one last autumn. Follow me."

She led them outside, where by this time it had stopped snowing. MK sunk up to her knees in a drift, and shivered from the cold. She was still wearing her khaki shorts that Penny had bought with her. The thought nearly knocked her over; she hadn't said goodbye to either Penny or Bomba. In fact, she didn't even know if they were alright from the bat attack. And even if they were, maybe the Leafmen wouldn't trust them. Maybe they would never know what happened to her.

"Mary Katherine, are you alright?" Rue called, a few steps ahead.

"Um, yeah," she lied. "I'm fine. Just a little cold."

"We can take the horses," Elinor declared. "They can manage this much snow, and it's only a short ride."

They found the young female Elinor had seen. She had grown through the winter, but no cubs followed her. The three women crouched in the bushes, watching as the bear dug in the snow, trying to find food.

"Shouldn't you go first? I know absolutely nothing!" Rue protested.

"Alright, but watch closely."

Elinor crept out of the bushes on all fours and approached the bear calmly, making low growling noises deep in her throat. The bear looked up, and was slightly confused. Then it growled. Unable to watch, MK hid her face in her hands. Suddenly, Rue gasped. When MK opened her eyes, she saw, to her amazement, Elinor petting the bear's head.

"Come on out," she said. "It's alright."

"What's next?" MK asked.

"Unfortunately, I only know how to approach a bear and let it know that we are friends and aren't going to hurt it. I don't actually know how to train a bear."

"Well, that's kind of a problem."

"Don't worry," Mary Katherine said. "This is where I come in. We just have to talk to it. I haven't dealt with bears before, but from what I've seen of hummingbirds and deer, I think it'll be pretty similar."

"I'm not even going to ask," Rue said. "Just tell me what to do."

"I don't think you have to do anything. Just let me talk to her."

MK knelt in front of the bear. She made her face look soft and loving, and the bear nuzzled her.

"I can't speak your language," she said softly. "So I can't learn your name, but I'm going to call you Missie. In my language, it's a name of honor. If you can understand me, then please raise your right paw."

There was a moment of silence. MK held her breath and hoped that the bear understood. Then, she raised her right paw. Rue and Elinor gasped in amazement.

"Thank you," MK said, nodding her head and breathing a huge sigh of relief. "My friend is in great danger. She is being protected by the evil men of this world. Alone, we cannot beat them. But with your help, we have a chance. It will be dangerous. Will you help us?"

She looked down at the ground and held her hands out in the open. The bear studied her for a long moment, then raised her right paw again and lowered it so that it touched MK's palm. Her wet nose pressed itself against MK's forehead.

"Thank you," MK whispered.

She introduced Missie to Rue, and to her surprise, Missie allowed them to ride on her back. Angus, the horse that she had been riding, turned to go back to Dunbroch. Rue led the way to Merida's tower, which was surrounded by guards, and told Missie the plan. MK, after making sure Missie would not try to eat anyone, had lapsed back into her numb, depressed state. It wasn't until Rue had to pull her off the charging bear that she came back to the present and saw a fire blazing in the distance.

"What's that?" she asked Elinor.

"I don't know. There aren't any settlements out here."

"I wonder…" Instinct told her to investigate.

"There aren't as many guards," Rue murmured. "Where did the others go?"

"Fergus!" Elinor exclaimed. "I have to get back and warn them!"

She turned on her horse and sped off.

"Wait!" Rue hissed, but Elinor didn't hear.

"Aunt Rue," MK said. "I'm going to see what that fire is."

"Alright, fine," Rue said. "I'll rescue Merida. Go off on your own."

MK ignored the sarcasm and took off at a run. She found a tiny stone cabin nestled into the snowy hill, smoke pouring out of the chimney. Inside, Hiccup lay shivering and frozen near the fire, and Anna lay weakly on the bed.

"MK," she croaked.

"Anna! What happened?"

"Elsa hit Hiccup, and then something happened to Anna!" Olaf exclaimed from the corner. She hadn't noticed him until now. "She can't make fire anymore!"

"Gothel's back," Anna whispered.

Instantly, MK kicked back into war mode. Hiccup looked young, so it was before he had been made into a Guardian. So, was history being changed, or would he make it out alive? She took off the cloak and covered Hiccup, though it didn't seem to make a difference. He was shivering violently and his whole body was turning blue. Outside, she could hear the roar of a bear, and hurried to the door. Merida leapt off of Missie and ran forward.

"Come quick!" she said, wringing her hands in distress. "Hiccup and Anna are dying!"

Merida and Rue ran in, followed shortly after by Astrid, all of them screaming and demanding answers. Taking command of the situation, Rue ordered Merida and MK to follow her and find Rapunzel. MK ran to the door to look for the bear.

"Come on, Missie! MISSIE!" She was gone. "Aunt Rue, Missie's gone!"

"She's a bear, what do yew expect?" Merida yelled. "We'll just have ta go on foot. Now come on! And you!" she said, turning and glaring at Hiccup. "You had better be alive when I get back, or I'll kill you mahself!"

Merida charged through the dark woods with Mary Katherine and Rue hot on her heels. It was hard going; with no way to find a clear path they kept tripping or getting snagged by bushes. Angus found them a few moments later, and the three of them rode on.

"RAPUNZEL!" a voice screamed in the darkness.

"That's Jack!" Merida said. "This way, Angus!"

"After we get home," Rue said, "I don't think I'll ever ride any animal ever again."

"Not even the unicorns?" Mary Katherine asked.

"Nope."

"Stop talking and help me call!" Merida said. "Jack! Jack, where are you!"

"Merida!" Jack yelled. "Merida over here!"

Merida pulled Angus to a standstill and dismounted, Rue quickly following. Kneeling on the ground, Merida picked up the shattered pieces of Jack's only weapon.

"Jack! I only see your staff! It's broken! Where are you?"

"In the chasm!" Jack yelled. "Merida, you have to help me get out of here! I can't fly without my staff!"

Merida ran over to the chasm and peered down. Jack sat at the bottom, looking tired and frustrated. His shirt was almost ripped to pieces, his hands and feet were scratched and bloodied, evidence of a long day trying to climb.

"How are we supposed to get you out?" MK asked, joining Merida at the edge. "We don't have any rope.

"Oh, why didn't I bring a dragon?" Merida lamented.

"Can't you whistle for him like you did with Angus?" MK asked.

"No, he's not that well trained! Stubborn dragon! Two training classes, top notch, and he refuses to come when called! Honestly!" She kicked the snow around her, sending a spray down on Jack.

"Hey!" Jack said. "Try not to dump snow on me, ok? I've had a very long and hard day!"

The three of them yelled for a moment, mostly in frustration and distress, but it was not accomplishing anything.

"Here!" Mary Katherine said, throwing down Jack's staff to him. "Fix it!"

"I don't have any powers since it's broken…" Jack started to explain.

"Fix it now!" MK yelled. "We're running out of time! And if it helps, ANNA'S DYING TOO!"

"WHAT?" Jack yelled. "Alright, that's it!" He jammed the pieces of his staff together, putting all

his concentration into it. "Come on come on come on," he muttered.

For a moment nothing happened. Then, suddenly, a bright blue glow exploded from the staff, and it mended. Jack let out a whoop and flew up to them. Merida hugged him excitedly.

"You did it!" she cried.

"Yeah," he said, still a little stunned. "Is it a Guardian power or something?"

"I don't care what it is," Rue said. "We have to go find Rapunzel. Any idea where she went?"

"No," Jack said. "Gothel made sure I could see while she cut Rapunzel hair, then she dropped me into the canyon. Nearly broke my leg," he said, rubbing it painfully.

"We can't just give up," Mary Katherine said. "Everyone's counting on us."

"Who said anything about giving up?" Jack asked with a grin. "We can't all ride on that horse, though."

"Ah know," Merida said. "But you're in no shape to carry anyone right now."

"Look," MK said. "I'll go on foot. It's no big deal, really."

"That's fine," Jack said. "See if you can find Elsa, she disappeared this morning really upset. Tell her it's fine now."

"Ok, I will," MK said, running off.

It was hard, cold going in the snow, but she didn't mind. She needed to be alone. She was home (sort of) and Merida had been rescued, yes, but Hiccup and Anna were dying and Rapunzel was lost and without her healing powers. This on top of leaving Nod, Ronin, Penny and Professor Bomba. Jack cleared the snow a moment later, but she hardly noticed. She kept right on walking. Finally, when she was sure that she was alone, she allowed the tears to flow.


	13. Chapter 13: Mission Accomplished

**Author's Note: Once again, I feel like I should apologize for the long break. I'm so close to finishing this book, but these past few months have been crazy as I helped take care of my great-grandmother, who has since passed away. But I'm back and my summer adventures are over, plus I'm taking some time off school so I have more time to write! Hopefully, I should get the last few chapters up tonight! If not, then maybe tomorrow night!**

* * *

About an hour into her walk, she saw another stone cottage. Through the windows, she could see Mavis flying around and reading anxiously. MK entered without knocking.

"Mary K!" Mavis said, without looking up. "I'm glad you're here. Do you know what's going on?"

"Gothel," MK said simply. "She did something to Rapunzel and it's affecting Anna, too. And Hiccup is frozen."

"Wait, it's affecting _Anna_? I didn't know that. You gotta help me look for a spell that will undo whatever mom…I mean, Gothel, did to Rapunzel."

"I'm on it," MK said, pulling books from the shelves.

* * *

MK managed to get a few hours of sleep, then continued their search in the morning. Elsa joined them shortly after dawn, and they updated her on the situation. The three were talking about weird spells when MK saw something that caught her attention.

"I found it!" she cried.

"You did?" Mavis and Elsa asked at once.

"Yes! Listen: this spell takes away magical powers that were inherited at birth. Works best on magical objects with healing properties. Side affects can include fainting, nausea, uncontrollable crying, hallucinations, memory loss, an unquenchable desire to wreck someone's life, wandering aimlessly, depression, fierce despair, and thoughts of giving up or suicide. If none of these side affects occur see a witch or sorcerer immediately and bring your subject with you. Sheesh, they're not good at grammar."

"Poor mom!" Elsa cried. "What about the antidote?"

MK glanced at the list of ingredients and shuddered. "This is going to smell disgusting. Mavis, do you know where Gothel keeps the cauldrons? We're going to need a fairly big one, and a good sized fire, too."

"I'm on it!" Mavis said, walking through a secret passage."

"Ok, now for the ingredients. This is pretty weird, but it's an anagram, easy remembering I guess. EXTRACTION. Eggs, turtle, 6. Xanther, 2 tablespoons. Hey Mavis, got any xanther? Or do you even know what that is?"

Mavis came back in, hauling a large cauldron. "Xanther? It's a rare substance, but Gothel loved it. I'll go get some."

"Ok, next is half a pint of toe jam, ew. One ram horn, 12 squares of ambrosia. Chicken feathers, about 25. Twig, perfectly black and from a cedar, 16 one inch cubes of ice, Elsa you can do that, and...oil from a pig? Um, gross!"

"Pig skin oil? Oh you've got to be kidding me!" Elsa said, reading the list over Mary's shoulder as she prepared the ice cubes. "That stuff stinks like anything when burned!"

"I'm not even going to ask how you knew that," MK said, trying not to gag. "The last thing is nectar, two cups."

"Got it!" Mavis said, dumping the last of it on the table. "Phew! Why are antidotes so gross! Luckily, I think between the nectar, ambrosia, xanther and turtle eggs Rapunzel should be able to drink this thing without tasting...you know, the oil and toe jam. And feathers."

"I vote we don't tell her what's in it," Elsa said, stacking wood beneath the cauldron. "At least until after the crisis is over. Oh, uh anything in the side affects if the antidote?"

"Hmmm. It says 'the speed at which magical properties return may vary.' Well that's just loads of help! It could take days!"

"It doesn't matter," Mavis said, lighting the fire. "We have to try. Let me see that book. Boil ingredients in water for five minutes, then add ice cubes. Let it simmer for 10 minutes. Allow time to cool before intake."

"Simple enough," Elsa said, filling the pot with loosely formed snow. "Once this melts and begins to boil, we throw in the other ingredients."

The snow melted quickly, and they began to throw in the ingredients in the listed order, saving the ice cubes for last. Mary Katherine and Elsa abandoned the cottage when the oil was tossed in, the smell so revolting and repelling that MK threw up right in the front yard.

"Sorry," she moaned.

"You should be!" Mavis yelled from inside. "Leaving me here to tend the fire and uh..." She stopped shouting and doubled over, trying to not to vomit herself.

"Let's take a walk," Elsa said feebly, helping MK to her feet. "I need some air."

MK did not object. The surrounding forest was pleasantly warm and sweet, reminding her of the Leafmen forrest. Soon the deep pine scent had covered the sickening odor of the antidote. The girls reached a mossy rock near a stream, and decided to sit down and enjoy the morning.

"So, tell me about your adventures, MK," Elsa said curiously.

MK was more than happy to talk. "Well, shortly after you left, I decided that everyone else was breaking North's rules, so why couldn't I? You needed help and I needed something to do. The Duke of Wessleton was plaguing me every step I took, demanding to know where everyone had gone. I found a portal, but unfortunately I wasn't sure where-when you had gone. I didn't know how to control the portals and I eventually ended up in the future in the middle of the woods. Luckily I met this really nice guy named Professor Bomba. He took me back to his house and gave me some new clothes. Anyway, the portal stopped working. Nobody could fix it, not even North. Then I got shrunk down by this tiny queen named Tara. She...well...there were these Boggans, see, and..." MK paused, uncertain how to go on. "It a long story. Basically I lived with a advanced society of tiny people in the woods, saved their world and met a really nice guy."

"Oh?" Elsa said, trying to sound nonchalant. "What was he like?"

"He was a jokester," MK said with a laugh. "But inside he really did care, and he was super sweet. His father died too, when he was young. I think that's part of why he was so happy and carefree, too happy and carefree according to Ronin. It got him into trouble a lot, but he was just trying to get the most of life, you know? He didn't know when his would end."

"I'm guessing you no longer have a crush on Hiccup, then?" Elsa teased.

MK blushed. "I didn't think anyone knew about that. But…yeah, once I met Nod…"

"You love him, don't you?" Elsa asked, though it was more of a statement.

MK didn't even hesitate. She had thought about this on her walk the night before. "Yes," she said in anguish. Her heart tightened as she again thought about how she might never see him again. "What have I done, Elsa?"

"Hey, we'll figure something out, don't worry."

MK tried to smile hopefully, but she didn't pull it off. "I hope you're right."

* * *

Angus showed up a few minutes later, and they rode him to the cottage. Mavis had finished with the potion and survived (although she looked a little green). Nobody spoke on the ride. Mary Katherine leapt off Angus before he had stopped moving and burst into the house. The sight that greeted her broke her heart into a million pieces.

Hiccup was frozen solid, and Merida was unable to control her grief, sobbing so hard she did not notice Jack's comforting hands on her shoulders. Astrid lay beside his frozen body, screaming in pain as Rapunzel tried desperately to stop her bleeding and crying as she grasped Hiccup's hand. Rapunzel sang fiercely, tears streaming down her face too, but nothing was happening. Anna was cradled in her grandmother's arms, too weak to move or do anything, but both she and Rue were silently crying.

All of this MK took in in a millisecond. She didn't even pause at the door. She just lunged to Rapunzel, barely noticing the melting ice.

"DRINK IT!" she screamed.

Rapunzel downed the contents of the drink without hesitation. Immediately, she gagged and coughed at the vile substance.

"Rapunzel!" Jack cried. "What on earth did you give to her?"

"What we had to," Mavis explained out of breath. "Mother Gothel poisoned her, and that's the antidote."

Rapunzel paled. "I hate antidotes. Don't tell me what's in it."

"Me too," Mavis said. "Elsa and MK left me to watch it as it was boiling."

"Can you feel anything different?" Elsa asked anxiously. "The book said the recovery time varies…"

Just then Rapunzel's hair flashed brilliant gold. Anna gasped and sat up straight, eyes wide.

"It worked," she said. "I can see magic again!"

"Wonderful!" Rue said, hugging Anna close.

"Now heal Hiccup!" Merida screamed. Astrid coughed up blood. "Oh, and Astrid!"

Rapunzel felt her hair. "I can't! It's too short!"

"What!?"

"Don't worry," Jack said, trying to hold her back. "It's growing fast."

"Not soon enough," Astrid wheezed. Rapunzel started to sing again, willing her hair to grow as fast as it could. Even though it would not heal her wounds, Astrid grabbed a handful, grateful for whatever strength she could get.

"What happened to you?" Elsa cried.

"Gothel," Anna said simply. "Astrid nearly won, but Gothel stabbed her."

Mavis looked around angrily. "Toothless killed her, Mavis," Merida said. "And ate her, according to Hiccup. He's outside now."

"I didn't see him," MK said.

"Um, guys?" Jack said. "If we're high on a hill, and the snow is gone so there's nothing to melt…why is there a growing puddle of water on the floor?"

"Not me!" Olaf said cheerfully.

Rue ran over to the door and tried to open it. "It's locked from the outside!" she exclaimed. She noticed a tiny hole in the wood and peered out. "Oh."

"What is it?" Anna asked, joining her. Rue stepped aside and let her granddaughter look. "Oh. The army. I knew we were forgetting something."

"The army?" Mavis cried, alarmed. "How did you forget about Gothel's army!"

"Hey!" Merida snapped. "People are dying over here, you know!"

"M-Merida?" MK stuttered, also looking through. "What do you know about huge, green, water spraying dragons?"

Paling, Merida leapt up and ran to the tiny peek hole, now surrounded by people. "Scauldrons!" she cried. "They're spraying the house! But how? Those only live on Berk!"

"Sea dragons, idiot!" Astrid managed to say through gritted teeth.

"Where's Toothless?" Jack asked.

"There are too many even for Toothless, where ever he is," Merida said. She cursed. "Six! How on earth did they tame them?"

"That doesn't matter right now," Anna said, beginning to panic.

"We've got to find another way out!" Rue said. "Everyone, start looking around. Try the roof, the cellar, chimney, everything!"

MK joined Rue and Anna in the pantry, tapping the walls and looking for a loose stone, but it was hopeless. All of their attempts failed. The water level was over their heads by the time Elsa had managed to melt Hiccup and Rapunzel had healed Astrid. MK climbed up on the bed with Hiccup, Merida, Rapunzel, Anna, and Astrid. Even on the bed they were neck deep.

"I don't want to die!" Mary Katherine cried as she floated upwards with the water. "I haven't seen my mom in a month! I didn't even say goodbye."

"No!" Jack said suddenly. "No, we do make it out! I've met you before, in this time! Both you and Merida! You were 17 and Merida was 18. Something will happen, and soon! We will be rescued!"

"You mean, you met us before we traveled forward in time in the first place?" Hiccup asked.

"Yes!" Jack said.

"No," Rapunzel said. "I didn't."

"That was before you were born," Jack explained.

"I'm confused," Rue said.

"Whatever is going to happen, it needs to happen fast," Merida said, struggling to stay afloat.

 _But there are no guarantees about me!_ MK thought desperately.

The water was only inches away from the ceiling now, and only tiny bat Mavis was able to stay dry. Everyone else swam or floated, but finally there was nowhere left to go.

"Just don't panic," Jack said calmly. "See you all in a few minutes."

"I can't hold my breath for that long," Mavis said, changing back to human form so she could hold more air.

"Seconds," Jack corrected.

Everyone held their breath as the water covered them all. MK relived memories of playing with her father as a young girl, walking with her mother in the garden, flying with Jack and Hiccup, hiking with Professor Bomba, riding a deer and fighting alongside Nod. Rapunzel reached through the water and grabbed her hand. She started to cry, and her chest grew even tighter. It was deadly calm and quiet; the water blocked all sound. Mary Katherine felt like her lungs were going to explode and she was going to die.

Suddenly, the door flew open, and the water rushed out, spilling them all on the warm, dry grass. MK gasped for breath, chest heaving.

"Mary!"

MK looked up and saw Primrose, still holding the door open. On shaky legs, she got up and ran to her mother, embracing her tighter than she even thought possible.

* * *

That night a party was thrown at the Dunbroch castle. Elsa and Merida had become Guardians, and MK had gotten to witness it all. She was alive, her mother was there, and she was the proper size. But she still wasn't happy. Her heart ached and she felt more homesick than she had when she first landed in the future. She slipped away from the party early. Nobody noticed. Mavis was sitting in one of the halls, looking at a potion. Their eyes met, and they nodded. Both understood the need for time alone.

The feeling did not leave MK when she got back to Corona. She wandered the streets in her old disguise, but the world seemed so empty. Her daily routine at the castle did not improve her boredom either. Once again she was placed under protection, treated like a fragile doll who could only look pretty. She spent many hours in the garden with Pascal, scouring the leaves for Leafmen.

Prim did not notice at first. After her stay in Arendelle, there were several kingdom duties to attend to. It wasn't until the third day that mother and daughter got to sit down to a private dinner together. There was a tense silence between them; neither had spoken about MK's direct disobedience yet.

"Is the food un-tasteful to you?" Prim asked as MK picked at her food.

"No, ma'am. I'm just not hungry."

"Mary Katherine, are you feeling alright?" she asked sharply. "I know we haven't seen each other since Dunbroch, but from what I have seen you haven't been yourself."

MK glanced sideways at the guard. Primrose dismissed them and turned her entire attention back to Mary Katherine. She took a deep breath and the entire story came out: from watching the Companions scamper off on another adventure to being roughly jerked away without proper goodbyes, to rescuing Merida and then back to a normal life where she wasn't allowed to do anything. Prim listened and asked questions and thought for a long time after the tale was told.

"I felt like I had a purpose. A reason to live my life."

"And preparing to be queen isn't?"

"No. I mean, I'm not saying it isn't. It's just...I didn't even get to say goodbye. I don't know what happened to them!"

"To Penny and her father?"

"Yeah. I don't know if they've destroyed Wrathwood or not. Moonhaven could still be in danger, but those Leafmen are stubborn. They don't trust Stompers!"

"I understand. Maybe you can go have a talk with North. Perhaps he'd let you make a return visit."

"You'd let me do that?"

"Not on a regular basis, mind you. Just a goodbye trip. And you need North's permission. Don't let me hear about you stealing a globe and getting trapped there again!"

MK felt her heart leap in excitement. _I can go home,_ she thought without realizing it. She bit her lip to quell the thought. It was not home. But...this didn't feel like home either. And anyway, it wasn't like she was going to stay forever. _But I can go back!_


	14. Chapter 14: Compromise

North looked at Mary Katherine, dumbfounded. "You want to go back?"

MK stared back resolutely. "Yes. Wrathwood needs to be destroyed. Bomba and Penny need to know I'm safe. I need to talk to Penny and let her know how much her dad loves her. I need to tell Nod…" she trailed off.

"But what if the Moon brought you back for a reason?" North demanded. "What if you're not supposed to go back? Or what if it was all just a glitch in the first place? Maybe the portals stopped working in that part of time?"

"It was NOT a glitch!" MK nearly yelled at him.

"The point is, what if you're trapped there forever?"

"Well, the more I think about it, that doesn't seem like a bad idea."

"No, it's too dangerous!"

MK jumped off the stool she had been sitting on and drew herself up to her full height. Her head didn't even reach North's shoulders and she had to crane her head back to look at him, but she hoped she looked intimidating.

"Then come with me!"

"I can't leave the North Pole, what if I get stuck there? No Santa for hundreds of years! World Peace would collapse!"

MK groaned and stood on her stool so she could look down at him.

"I will find a way back there, whether or not you let me! Don't think you can stop me. You couldn't stop Hiccup, or Anna, or Jack and Rapunzel. I may not have magical powers, but I have a very strong motivator, and don't think for a second that I am any less powerful."

They glared at each other for a few moments in silence. MK was growing more encouraged by the second. Suddenly she was tapped on the shoulders.

"Here," Bunny said, handing her a portal. "If anything to get you and North to stop arguing. But you make a strong point…I trust you."

MK grinned cheekily at North and threw the portal. She jumped in before North could protest another word.

* * *

They landed in the front yard, which was considerably better kept than the last time she'd been here. MK looked up and saw Penny and Bomba sitting on the front porch, gawking. She broke into a smile and ran forward at the same time Penny launched herself from the porch and into her arms. They spun around, laughing. Then Penny punched her lightly on the arm.

"What happened to you?! It's been nearly a week since we've heard anything!"

"I'm sorry!" MK said. "Marigold sent me home to my time instead of making me big here. I had no way to communicate with you until I convinced North to let me come back."

She broke out of Penny's embrace and leapt into Bomba's arms, holding him tight. In that moment, he _was_ her dad. They sat down on the porch, and MK took a deep breath of the modern air, soaking it all in.

"I've missed it here."

"How long has it been for you?" Bomba asked.

"A few days, I think. A lot happened so it feels like longer." She paused. "Have you been in contact with the Leafmen?"

"Yeah," Penny said. "Dad was able to get the speed setting right on the cameras, so we can actually talk back and forth as normally as if it was Skype! It's pretty incredible. And, hey, that Nod of yours is pretty cute."

MK sat bolt upright. "You've talked to Nod?!"

Penny grinned. "I figured you'd act like that from the way he talks about you. Yeah, of course we've talked, but no need to get jealous. We were both trying to stitch the story together and figure out where you disappeared to. Man, they had Leafmen search parties out looking for you and everything! We were so worried!"

MK was barely listening. "Can we talk to him now?"

"Of course we can," Bomba said. "Come on."

MK bounced on the balls of her feet as Bomba set everything up. The screen just showed an empty forest. She was disappointed but Penny just leaned back in the chair nonchalant.

"Sometimes it takes a few minutes for them to get up there," she said. "No big deal."

"Where is it?"

"Oh, it's in a tree near Moonhaven, but facing the other way in case anyone tries to look at the footage," Bomba explained.

She nodded. "Yeah, that's a good idea. Have you destroyed Wrathwood?"

"Oh, yes. Thank goodness, yes," Penny said, looking somewhat horrified. "That place was rank. It took us three days to clear out the junk, but now thanks to Marigold it's flourishing again. The boggans are having a hard time reclaiming any land, and Ronin thinks they're killed or captured most of them now."

"You're talking about this so naturally."

"Hey, I've had a week to get acclimatized. You only had a day."

"That's true," MK admitted.

"I'm going to go make some coffee. Do you want some?" Bomba asked.

"No, thanks," MK said. "That's one thing I still haven't acquired yet."

"Maybe one day," he said, patting her on the shoulder.

"So, how are things with you and your dad?" she asked when he had left.

Penny grinned. "They've been great, ever since I learned that he wasn't crazy. And, you know, nothing like tearing down a rotting forest together for some good bonding time. We've been out researching the Leafmen some more and helping them gather food for the winter. We may walk slow to them, but we can carry a lot more, and that saves them time. And…we also just go on hikes through the woods together. It's good for us. We, um, we've been able to talk and…work through some things."

She looked down, and MK instinctively knew she was thinking about her mother. She was glad Penny and her father had reconciled. She had never gotten that chance. Still, she was a little jealous. It was exactly what she and Bomba had been doing just days earlier, only now Penny had taken her place. Which was only right, seeing how she was his real daughter. But MK felt a twinge of regret all the same.

Then Nod stepped into view. Her heart thumped violently and her knees grew weak; she was glad she had already pulled up a chair. His eyes grew wide in recognition and he grinned at her, a smile so heartwarming that she nearly melted. For a few seconds, time stopped as she took him in. He was still wearing his grubby old work clothes and his hair was a mess, but she didn't care. She felt heat rise up her neck into her cheeks. She'd forgotten how good looking he was. Cute? Yeah, it was a little more than that. MK realized she had placed her hand on the screen, and Nod had done the same.

"You found her!" he said, looking at Penny with gratitude.

"She found me!" she insisted, smirking at the two of them. "Although I'm still waiting for the story. I knew she'd want to wait until you were here until she told it."

She glanced at her friend expectantly. MK tried to swallow back her earsplitting grin, but to no avail.

"Hi," she said breathlessly into the camera.

"Hi."

The way he said it made her heart flip flop again. "I missed you," the words slipped out barely before she had formed them.

"Well, I should hope so!" he teased. Then he softened. "I missed you too."

"We both did," Penny added. MK didn't take her eyes off Nod. "And we would like to know exactly what happened while you abandoned us here."

"Oh, right." She cleared her throat. "It's a long story."

"I don't care," Nod said, sitting criss-crossed on the branch. "I can listen to you all day if it takes that long."

MK cleared her throat again, trying not to think about how much she was blushing and to just act natural.

"Well, it begins before I even came here. And, technically, before I was born."

She told them about the Guardians and the Companions and how the time traveling worked. She told them how Merida had been kidnapped and the rest of them had left to rescue her, leaving MK behind. She explained how she had ended up in the future in the first place, and when Marigold had sent her back, she had sent her back to where Merida had been kidnapped, her original destination. MK caught them up on how she had helped rescue Merida, and how boring it had been to go back to her normal princess life. Both Penny and Nod raised an eyebrow at this.

"So, apparently we're way more fun than royalty?" Nod asked. "That's a nice compliment."

"WAY more," MK said, rolling her eyes. "So anyway, I figured it might help to come back and say goodbye."

Nod's face fell. "So, you're not staying."

"No," MK shook her head. "It took a lot of convincing for North to let me go on this trip. I doubt he'll let me go on more. And if that's the case it won't be frequent either."

Nod frowned. "Are you sure there's not a better way?"

"Trust me, I spent a LOT of time thinking about it. There isn't one."

Nod sighed in frustration. There was a crash in the kitchen, and some loud swearing. MK glanced at Penny.

"I'll go check on it," she said, moving cautiously forward.

MK lay her head on the desk and realized she and Nod were alone.

"I've been working with Marigold and Ronin. Well, it's been mostly him training her, but I help. We're trying to get her strength up, so maybe one day...I don't know..."

"What?"

"If you did manage to come back to this time, when Marigold is ready, then maybe she can bring you back to Moonhaven?"

"You mean, tiny?"

Nod crossed his arms and tried to look annoyed. "Don't call me tiny!"

"Ok, sorry. I meant, as a Leafmen."

"Exactly," he said.

"I would like that. Only..."

"I didn't even get to know you that well," he said abruptly.

"Well, we were pretty busy saving the world and all that," MK said.

"That's true," Nod said, smiling wistfully. "I've gone back to Nim's tree a few times."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. I like to watch the memories from that day."

MK smiled sweetly. "I wish I could do that. Which one is your favorite?"

Nod didn't hesitate. "When we rode on the deer."

She closed her eyes and sighed. "That was a good one. I don't think I could ever forget that." More specifically, she didn't think she would ever forget the feeling of his arm around her waist, or the gentle way he had pulled her up to the antler and made sure she was balanced safely.

"What would have been your favorite? I mean, if you could re-watch them?"

She had to think for a moment. "Other than the deer? Probably when you dashed off to fight the boggans. I mean, I was terrified for your life…" Nod chuckled. "But it was terribly brave of you. Not to mention you look good in uniform."

He laughed and looked down at his clothes. "I'll keep that in mind for next time."

"I don't care," MK said honestly.

He smirked. "And…what about the time we kissed?"

"Oh," she said softly. Her fingers tingled as the memory flooded her senses. "That one would be my favorite…except for the end. I don't think I could watch myself leave."

"Yeah," Nod looked down. "I don't know how to stop it before it gets there. I tried a few times before I gave up watching it altogether. But I have it in here." He looked back at her and tapped his fingers to his head.

MK smiled. "Nod?" He looked at her expectantly, and she took a deep breath. "I love you. I know we haven't known each other for long and that it can't last…"

"Hey," Nod said, gently but firmly interrupting her. "I don't care about that. I love you, too. We'll figure something out."

"How do you know?" MK asked, tears starting to fall.

"Because I know you." He pointed at his screen. "You can be very determined when you set your mind to it. I believe in you."

She smiled. "Thanks. I'll do my best."

"I know you will."


	15. Chapter 15: Mary Katherine's Farewell

"Come on, can't you stay longer?" Nod asked.

MK shook her head. "No. North will only let me stay one day. But I'll be back, I promise."

Nod sighed. "There has to be a better way." MK was silent. "Yeah, I know. There isn't one. I'll see you next month, I guess."

"Yeah," MK said, opening the portal sadly.

"Hey," Nod said. "Love you."

With tears in her eyes, MK turned and waved. "I love you, too," she whispered as she was pulled away.

She landed on her bed back home in Corona, and curled up in a ball of misery. When she had first returned from the future, she, her mother, and North had worked out an agreement. She was allowed to visit Nod and professor Bomba one day a month, and one day only. It had worked well for the first two or three months, but since then it was agonizing.

There was a knock at the door, and Primrose entered. "You're back, then. Is something wrong? What happened?"

"Nothing happened," MK said dully.

"You mean, you didn't go?"

"No, I did. I went, we had one good day, and then I had to leave again."

Sighing, Prim sat down on the bed beside her daughter. "Then why aren't you happy?"

"Because I always have to leave. And…it's like, each time it gets harder."

They were silent for a long time. "Can you do something for me?" MK asked.

"Anything," Prim replied.

"Invite the Companions to dinner. And Kristoff, Anna, Elsa, and Mavis. And tell Aunt Rue she can come if she'd like."

Prim shook her head. "Robert's death hit her hard, I'm afraid. She doesn't like leaving the unicorns."

"But everyone else?"

"I'll see what I can do. When would you like them over?"

"Tonight. I don't want to wait any longer."

"You're leaving for good, aren't you?"

MK didn't reply. Wearily, Prim rose from the bed and left her in peace.

* * *

Dinner was a success; everyone except Rue was able to come on such short notice.. At first, MK didn't say why she had invited everyone to Corona. Reminiscing, the old friends told stories and laughed until they cried. It was quite a merry gathering until, as desert was served, MK tapped her glass and stood.

"So," she began. "I think it's about time I told you why I asked you to come here tonight. I've given this a lot of thought, and I've talked it over with several people. I didn't make this decision lightly."

Anna and Elsa looked at each other in sudden understanding. Prim looked down at her lap and blinked away tears.

"I have decided," MK continued. "To permanently move to the 21st Century to live with Nod."

The Companions and Mavis, all of whom had no idea what was coming, gasped.

"But, you get to see him once a month," Mavis said.

"That isn't enough," MK said. "Jack, Rapunzel, how would you guys feel if you only got to see each other once a month? Anna, Kristoff?" She turned to the newlyweds. "I spend my entire month trying to live day to day. I only live for my one day in the future now. Every other day is misery. I walk out in town, I keep seeing people that look like him. In the garden, I see bugs and I keep thinking they're leafmen."

"But don't yew love it here?" Merida asked. "We're your closest friends and family."

"I do love you guys, and we've had a lot of fun together. But…" She looked at Hiccup. "Hiccup, I know you loved being a Guardian and going out on missions and everything. But when you were out there, didn't you just want to go home and see Astrid?"

Hiccup closed his eyes and nodded. Under the table, Merida reached over and squeezed his hand.

"You're absolutely sure?" Elsa asked. "When we talked yesterday you were still torn. What made you change your mind?"

"North. He's decided that time travel is too dangerous. He's going to remove it from the snow globes."

"What?" Jack exclaimed.

"Mary Katherine," Rapunzel said seriously. "That means that once you go there, you can never come home."

"I know," MK whispered.

"What does she have here?" Prim said, speaking for the first time. "I'm growing old, and I won't be around for much longer. The rest of you—well, most of you—are immortal, and always dashing about on some noble quest. She'll just get left behind and forgotten."

"That's not true," Hiccup said. "We wouldn't leave her behind if she stayed."

"I know you wouldn't _now_ ," MK said gently. "But it's not like you and Astrid, or Anna and Kristoff. I may be part of the family, but I'm only distantly related. My lover isn't immortal, he's from another time. What happens when I get old? I won't be able to handle the adventures. I'll be alone."

"But…" Hiccup began.

"I know you wouldn't leave me forever. But it would still be lonely. I've had a great run with all of you. I've spent all my life with you. But now it's Nod's turn. And most of you will be in the future anyway, so you can come visit if you remember me."

"Don't yew have a kingdom to take care of?" Merida asked. "Yew _are_ the crown princess, and your coronation was scheduled for next year."

"I've never wanted to be queen, you know that. I hated being a princess. I'm abdicating."

"Ok," Rapunzel said. "But like Prim said, and these aren't my words, your mother is getting older. Who's going to rule Corona?"

"That," Anna said, standing. "Is where I come in."

"Thank you," MK said, sitting back down.

"Anna?" Jack said.

"Yes, me. MK and I have been talking, too. I am the closest family member, and I was brought up believing I was going to become queen one day, until Elsa came back. Which was a good thing, because I didn't want to be queen back then. I was the same as MK. But now I'm ready."

"And Kristoff?" Mavis asked incredulously. " _He's_ going to be king?"

"Loving the confidence," Kristoff said.

"Hey," Jack said. "Everyone doubted me at first, too. You'll be fine."

"Does North know?" Rapunzel asked worriedly.

"Yes, I talked to him this afternoon," MK said. "He didn't like it, but he said he wouldn't stop me, either."

"And when would you plan on going?" Elsa asked.

"As soon as I say goodbye," MK said.

"What?" everyone cried.

"So soon?" Prim gasped. "I thought you would stay a little longer at least."

"I packed my things this afternoon."

"How long 'ave yew been planning this?" Merida asked.

"Since my last visit," MK said. "I almost told everyone then, but then I decided to at least stay for the wedding." She nodded towards Anna and Kristoff. "And I had Hiccup and Rapunzel finish those paintings of everyone."

"Oh, that's why you wanted them," Rapunzel said, understanding. "So you could take them with you."

"Is that why you brought the camera, too?" Jack asked.

MK nodded guiltily. "I'm used to paintings, but Nod and dad wanted to see your magic in real time, which is why I snuck it through the portal and have been filming you guys."

"Dad?" Primrose asked, startled.

"Hmm? Oh, I mean professor Bomba."

"And you call him 'dad?'" Mavis asked.

"Well, I barely knew my own father, and at first he didn't have a good relationship with his own daughter, Penny. I was there for over a month, and we really bonded. He doesn't mind."

"You're actually going to do it," Hiccup said.

MK nodded. "This was a goodbye dinner."

The next half hour was very emotional, as nobody really wanted to say goodbye. MK found it harder than she had anticipated to actually leave.

"Thank you, Mer," MK said.

"Fer what?" she asked, for once not minding the nickname.

"You gave me the courage to go after everyone that day. I know you didn't control the portal, but without you none of this would have been possible."

"Are yew _trying_ to make me feel guilty?"

"No," MK said, hugging her. "I'm trying to make you feel proud of me."

"That Ah am."

Hiccup was next.

"It's been fun watching you grow up," he said, hugging her. "I'm glad you finally found someone who will love you back this time," he whispered.

"Uhhhhh…you knew?"

"Of course I knew. Love might be Elsa's specialty, but I can see when something is more than just a friendship."

MK laughed nervously. "Well, what I can I say? I grew up hearing stories about you and you were just as amazing in real life. You were my hero, you inspired me."

"No," Hiccup said softly. "Tonight, you inspired _me_."

"I did?"

"Can I see my daughter now?" Prim interrupted, voice breaking.

Respectfully, Hiccup stepped to the side, and MK threw herself on her mother.

"I'm going to miss you," she cried.

"I'm going to miss you more, MK," Prim said. It was, to MK's knowledge, the first time she _hadn't_ called her Mary Katherine.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Don't be. I only want you to be happy."

"Will you be alright on your own?"

"I won't be on my own. Once Anna and Kristoff are coronated and settle in here, I'll go to Arendelle to be with Rue." MK nodded and choked back tears. "I love you."

"I love you more."

"I love you most," Primrose said, kissing her forehead. "Now get going before you change your mind."

Reluctantly, she let go and turned to see Heather, her old nursemaid, bringing her bags. An old trunk containing the paintings, some of her books including a recipe book from their chef Remy, and other things from her childhood, and a satchel containing gold from Corona's treasury, an actual snowglobe North had made for her featuring Corona's castle, the borrowed camera, her hated but useful sewing kit, and her two favorite dresses.

"Who knows? Maybe we can convince North to keep the time traveling for a little longer," Merida said encouragingly as MK picked up her things.

"If you two end up getting married, invite us," Elsa reminded her.

MK laughed shyly. "I don't know if that will happen anytime soon, but I will."

She took the portal out of the satchel and looked at for a moment.

"You don't _have_ to go if you don't want," Prim reminded her gently.

"I know," she whispered. "But I do want to go."

 _Take me to Nod,_ she thought. _The day after I left him._

Gently, she tossed the snowglobe and turned to her family. "See ya later."

* * *

It was evening when she arrived, the sun had just slipped beyond the horizon, leaving behind a golden glow that set the seemingly dead autumn forest on fire. Professor Bomba was working with Penny in the garden.

"MK! What are you doing here?" Penny asked, jumping up.

"Penny!" They hugged.

"Weren't you just here last week?" Bomba asked.

"I must have overshot it a little. I meant to come back the day after."

"Why did you bring all that stuff?" Penny asked.

"Because I'm moving here," MK said quietly. "If you'll take me."

Bomba looked concerned. "Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"But, your entire family is back there," Penny said.

"My old family, yeah. But I never fit in as well as I do with my new family. I can still stay with you, right?"

Bomba took her trunk and put an arm around her shoulder. "Of course you can! Penny already got the guest room ready just in case you came back."

"Really?"

"Well, we needed an excuse to get rid of that junk. Oh, and there was another reason I got it ready," she said suspiciously. "You may not have come back on the day you wanted, but you came on the perfect day. Earlier this morning Queen Marigold did another magic experiment and…"

She was interrupted by the creak of the old door opening. MK looked up and, to her surprise, Nod, fully human sized, coming down the steps.

"These clothes fit perfectly," he announced.

He was wearing a new white T-shirt and blue jeans. With a cry of joy, she ran and leaped into his arms.

"MK?" he asked, equally as surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"I came home," she whispered, burying her face into his neck.

It felt good to actually be able to touch him again, to be sure that he was real. He pulled back just enough so that he could see her face.

"You mean…you're moving here? Forever?"

"Yes. There was always another way. I just didn't know if I was ready to make that move yet. But I am now."

"What about all your friends back home…"

"I was a princess. I didn't have friends except for the Guardians, and they're immortal so they're still around if we want to go visit. I will miss my mom, and Kristoff, and Aunt Rue. But it wasn't worth it to stay anymore."

Bomba and Penny had slipped inside, and they sat down on the porch together. MK leaned against him. The evening had already grown dark and the stars were beginning to shine through the haze. It was getting colder, but MK barely noticed.

"I was more homesick for here then I ever was when I was trapped. This is my new home and my new family. Penny, and Bomba, and you," she added quietly. "Mostly I was homesick for you."

"But, you're own mother?" Nod asked, still shocked.

MK sighed. "There's not a long life expectancy in my time. She'd already lived past that and I would rather say goodbye and remember as living, rather than have my last memories be of her dying. Besides, I still have the Professor."

He nodded. "I guess that makes sense. Still, that was really brave of you to leave everything behind." He smiled gently.

She raised her head and looked at him, eyes sparkled. "I was very determined."

Suddenly he pulled her close and kissed her. Mary Katherine sighed and let herself lean into it, her insides warming with each second. It was different from their first kiss, which had been tender, desperate, and bittersweet. This one was passionate, full of promises of a bright future, one that would last, and they both knew it. MK wrapped her arms around his neck and ran her hands through his messy hair. She knew she'd made the right decision.

* * *

 **Author's Note: The end! Thanks everyone for sticking with me! Let me know what you think, leave me a review!**


End file.
